California girl prawn curry with sambals

Growing up on the ‘So Cal’ coast, it was normal for us to have enchiladas, sukiyaki or ‘authentically British’ fish and chips for dinner, but a curry? Sally-Mom would make a curry from scratch – including all the sambals – when we had company. The scent of a curry cooking was mysterious but alluring to us kids and we knew those little dishes – ‘sambals’ – of coconut, toasted chopped peanuts, diced bananas, cashew nuts, olives, pineapple, golden raisins, jars of Major Grey’s, with ‘Sunday-best’ spoons placed carefully aside, would soon appear on the table. What a treat! We would pile plates high with rice, a little curry, mild chutney and lots of our favourite sambals.

Credit: Manja Wachsmuth

• serves

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 90 ml (6 tbsp) peanut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp finely freshly grated ginger
• 175 ml (¾ cup) shellfish or vegetable stock
• 375 ml (12/3 cups) coconut milk
• 1.3 kg (3lb.) prawns (shrimp), peeled, cleaned and deveined
• 1 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
• handful (about 25g/1oz.) roughly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• sambals, to serve (see Note)

'So Cal' garam masala:

• 1½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp black cardamom pods
• ½ tsp green cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• ½ cinnamon stick
• ¼ tsp ground chipotle powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

First make the garam masala. Turmeric adds that grand yellow curry colour, while coriander (cilantro) adds the real curry flavour. Toasting the spices adds intensity to their flavour. Toast the spices, stirring often, until they turn a few shades darker and give off a sweet, smoky aroma. Do not raise the heat to quicken the process, or the spices will brown too quickly or burn. Toast the cumin and cloves in a dry heavy frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, remove to a small bowl then toast the coriander seeds, cardamoms, peppercorns and cinnamon stick. Once the spices are cool, transfer them to a mortar and pestle (or spice mill or coffee grinder) and grind to a powder. Stir in the chipotle powder and ground turmeric.

Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onion and cook over medium heat until translucent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the spice blend and stir gently for a minutes over medium–low heat until you can smell the spices cooking. Add 60 ml (¼ cup) of water, the stock and 175 ml (¾ cup) of the coconut milk. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid, turn the heat to low and add the remaining 200 ml (scant 1 cup) of coconut milk. Bring to a simmer, add the prawns (shrimp) and cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped coriander (cilantro) and salt and black pepper to taste.

Mound a ladleful of the curry on steamy seasoned rice, sprinkle on the sambals, spoon on your favourite chutney and enjoy!

Note

• Sambals should include salty, sweet, sour and savoury flavours. Choose 8–12 of the following and serve, finely chopped, in an array of small bowls: salted roasted peanuts, spring onions (scallions), hard-boiled eggs, raisins and/or sultanas (golden raisins), dried apricots, sugared crystallized ginger, shredded coconut, kumquats (or small Valencia oranges seeded, finely chopped, with skins), black and/or green olives, spicy lemon pickle or zested lemon rind, watermelon pickle, radishes, fresh pineapple, apple, banana, flaked (shredded) almonds, salted walnuts, pears, cashew nuts, crystallized violets, etc.

• Chutneys: Major Grey’s, lime-garlic, mango-ginger or other Indian relishes and chutneys.

Recipes and images from Spice Health Heroes by Natasha MacAller. Photography by Manja Wachsmuth. (Murdoch books, $49.99 hbk). Read an extract right here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.