Ottolenghi's fresh turmeric and peppercorn curry with prawns and asparagus
From Ottolenghi's new cookbook, Comfort. Available from our Tory Street Kitchenware department and Porirua store, and online for nationwide delivery.
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients:
14ml coconut cream
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
25g soft brown sugar
20ml fish sauce
500g asparagus , cut into 3cm lengths, keeping the tips separate
500g peeled raw prawns
jasmine rice, to serve
Cucumber and Ginger Relish
25ml rice (or other white) vinegar
80g caster sugar
1/2 cucumber, quartered lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced
20g ginger, peeled and julienned
1 red chilli (or 2 bird-s eye chillies if you like the heat), halved, deseeded and thinly sliced lengthways
10g coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly torn
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve
salt
Spice Mix
5g dried red chillies
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground
2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground
1-2 shallots, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
20g coriander stems, roughly chopped
10g fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp coconut cream
INSTRUCTIONS
First make the relish. Put the vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan, along with 60ml of water and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer for a minute, stirring once or twice, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and, once cool, add the cucumber, ginger, chilli and coriander stems. Transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge.
To make the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for a few minutes. Put the ground white peppercorns and coriander seeds into the small bowl of a food processor, along with the shallots, garlic, coriander stems, turmeric, coconut cream, soaked chillies and 1 tablespoon of the chilli-soaking liquid. Blend to form a smooth purée, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
Put the 145ml of coconut cream into a medium saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. When it begins to simmer, add the spice paste and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring frequently until thick, clotted and oily. Add the coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir gently, then bring to a simmer. Add the asparagus stalks, cook for 4 minutes, then add the prawns and asparagus tips. Cook for another 3–5 minutes, until the prawns are just cooked through, and serve.
