Recipe: Alfred\'s Prawn Curry

Ingredients

• 600 g prawns
• 2 medium onions
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cardamom pods
• 4 cloves
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• some salt
• half tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups (500ml) hot water
• half tsp garam masala powder
• half coriander leaves

Instructions

Step 1

First, pull off the head of the prawns, and rinse the prawns in water. Remove the middle shell from the prawn. Hold the exposed top end and pull the tail to remove the rest of the shell. make a shallow slit down the middle of the curved back with a knife, then pull out the dark colored vein. Use your fingers or a cocktail stick to do this. Rinse the prawn again. Good prawns should be a bluish/green color once peeled.

Step 2

Peel and finely dice 2 onions. Dice well 4 tomatoes.
Chop 2 green chillies.
HINT
Before you do this, dip your fingers into oil to prevent the chilli juices from stinging your fingers.

Step 3

Place a big non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Then add
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 sticks of cinnamon, 4 cardamom pods and 4 cloves.
Fry for about 30 seconds, keep stirring from time to time.

Step 4

Add two chopped onions and two green chillies to the pan, then fry them for about 5 minutes or until the onions become light golden brown. Stir frequently to prevent the onions from burning.

Step 5

Add two tablespoons of ginger and garlic paste. Stir well for a few minutes.

Step 6

Add half teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder and
1 teaspoon of coriander powder, half teaspoon of garam masala, then fry for 5 minutes over a low heat, stir frequently.

Step 7

Add in the well chopped tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of cumin powder. stir well. Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Add a cup of water, keep stirring until the water is absorbed. Turn down the heat, put the cover on, and leave them to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the oil separates from the dish and rises to the top.

Step 8

Turn the heat back to high, put the prawns to the pan. Then stir in 2 pinches of salt.

Step 9

Add about 200ml of warm water to the pan. Stir. Put the cover on and turn the heat down. Leave them for about ten minutes or until the prawns are done. check occasionally. The prawns are done when their colors become pink and opaque. When they are done, turn off the heat.

Step 10

granish with well chopped coriander and a couple of nice leaves.

Step 11

Lay the coriander leaves onto the curry, and serve.