Thai Prawns with Sweet basil




Thai Prawns with Sweet Basil

Recipe only

This Thai prawn with sweet basil recipe is simple to cook. It is heavily influence by Chinese cooking methods brought to Thailand. High heat and quick.The food of Thailand is startlingly bold and imaginative. Carefully crafted to appeal to all senses, it combines beautiful presentation with fragrant aromas, contrasting yet complementing flavors and textures, and often fearsome chili-heat.Although Thai food appears unique it is in fact one of the world’s great fusion cuisines. The country may never have been colonized, but Thai cooks certainly absorbed foreign influences. 

INGREDIENTS

600 g fresh raw medium prawns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dry curry paste (see below)
185 ml coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons palm sugar
Good handful Thai sweet basil leaves
1 long fresh red chili, seeded, sliced

METHOD

Dry Curry Paste

2 dried long red chilies
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely sliced
3 cm piece, fresh peeled galangal, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 Asian shallots (purple), finely chopped
6 coriander roots, washed, finely chopped
1 teaspoon, shrimp paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin, dry roasted
3 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, chopped

METHOD

1. Deseed the chilies and soak the skins in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and chop.

2. In a pestle and mortar, pound the chilies, lemongrass and galangal into a smooth paste. Add the remaining ingredients one at a time and pound again till a smooth paste forms, put some elbow grease into it..hhaaaa

3. Use can also use some new technology called a spice grinder to do the work for you, use a little cooking oil to get things going.

METHOD

Thai prawns with Sweet Basil

1. First, peel the prawns and clean the entrails. Cut each prawn along the back to butterfly them. Leave the tails in tacked.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or pan over medium heat. Add the dry curry paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

3. Now, add the coconut milk, fish sauce and palm sugar and cook for a few seconds.. Add the prawns and cook for a few minutes or until the prawns are tender. Check the taste and adjust to your liking if necessary. 

4. To serve, spoon into bowls and garnish with the Thai sweet basil and sliced chili.


Location: South East Asia

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