TBK cooks - Goan Prawn curry with Mango Salsa

Goan Prawn curry

Just before Christmas in 2020, after Writer Relocations had accidentally sent ALL my recipe books to the Philippines, I decided to treat myself to a new recipe book.

I thought it would keep me in food until my planned departure for the Philippines on 14 February. Regular readers of this blog will know that was not to be due to COV 19 and I have been using the book ever since ( now 7 months) choosing a couple of "curries" to cook each month. Its a great book with different curries from all over India as they have been adapted for use in the UK. The UK has now become a Curry Nation with Chicken Tikka Masala outselling the previous traditional British Favourite dish, Fish and Chips.

You can read some amazing statistics about the rise of Indian food sales in the UK in my earlier Blog Cooking up some curries for the New Year

In June I decided, when the COV 19 Lockdown was extended for the second time in Bahrain and dining out was prohibited, to dig out "Curry Nation" and have a week of Indian cookery. However I have been so busy cooking, and eating!, that I did not get time to prepare the Blogs. Now Chester wants to create a section of the Blog called "TBK Cooks" where he will move all the recipes, and also create a similar section on our Vlog. Like most things Chester, a few months later , he has only produced a 3 second clip, but we live in hope!

Coming soon on The British Kabayan Vlog - TBK Cooks

So don't forget to like and subscribe and click on the bell icon so you get notified as we upload more Blogs. Chester has uploaded two TBK cooks videos now ( Adobo and a Thai curry) and TJ is working with me on a Vlog about my trip to Salalah. You can see all our Vlogs by clicking in the link below.

The British Kabayan Vlog

So here is our first Fish curry recipe ( after Alex Ginette told me off for not eating enough fish) - a delicious Prawn Curry from Goa ( Pav's favourite place)

The prawns and chilis

Opps, I feel some wiki coming on for those of you not familiar with this lovely Indian state on the south west coast of India:

"Goa (/ˈɡoʊə/ (listen)) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the region known as the Konkan, and geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats.^[8]^[9] It is surrounded by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast. It is India's smallest state by area and its fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states,^[3]^[10] two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole.^[11] The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India’s National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India (based on the commission’s “12 Indicators”).^[11] It is the third-highest ranking among Indian states in human development index.^[4]

Panaji is the state's capital, while Vasco da Gama is its largest city. The historic city of Margão in Goa still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese, who first voyaged to the subcontinent in the early 16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter, whereupon Goa became an overseas territory of the Portuguese Empire, part of what was then known as Portuguese India, and remained as such for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.^[12]^[13] Goa’s official language, which is spoken by a majority of its inhabitants, is Konkani.

Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year because of its white-sand beaches, active nightlife, places of worship, and World Heritage-listed architecture. It also has rich flora and fauna because it lies on the Western Ghats range, a biodiversity hotspot."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa ( accessed 28.6.21)

To make the Goan prawn curry you will need:

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive or Sunflower oil

1 Medium onion , finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon ground Cumin

2 Tablespoons Chili powder

1 and a half tablespoons ground Coriander

Half a teaspoon of salt

2 x 400ml cans coconut milk- shake well

2 teaspoons Tamarind concentrate

3 small stock cubes ( e.g. Knorr, Oxo or Maggi Chicken)

4 teaspoons Caster sugar ( or to taste)

750 g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined

2 hot green chilis sliced lengthways

Frying the onions before our Spatula had a little accident

Method

First you pour the oil into a pan about 25 cm in Diameter and heat it to brown the onion as in the above photo. It should take about 5 minutes and then you can add the garlic and fry for 3 minutes. Next add the cumin, chili powder, coriander and salt before reducing the heat. Remember to stir the ingredients well before adding the two cans of shaken coconut milk. finally crumble in the stock cubes, sugar and tamarind concentrate.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the sauce until it is thick , mixing in the prawns and chilis , cooking for just 2 to 3 minutes until the prawns are opaque and then cook through and serve in a bed of rice.

I served my Goan Prawn curry with Caramelized Onion and Spicy Mango chutney and my home made Mango Salsa ( recipe Below). It was delicious!

The British Kabayan's Goan Prawn curry with rice and Mango Salsa

My thanks to Aileen Fernandes in London who shared these recipes in the "Curry Nation "recipe book.

To make the Mango salsa simply place 400g Mango, peeled and finely chopped , in a bowl and fold in 2 finely sliced hot green chilis , 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt. You mix them all, chill and serve. Be warned, it has a spicy kick from the chilis!