Prawn Thai Green Curry

This is one of my favourite dishes and one we eat quite often. You can make it as hot or as mild as you like and it works equally well with chicken, pork or vegetables.
Serves 4 Prep 10min Cook 20min

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tbsp green curry paste
• 400g prawns, shelled
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 Kaffir lime leaves
• walnut size piece palm sugar
• Red chillis to taste
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon zest of Kaffir or ordinary lime
• 8 Thai basil leaves
• handful mangetout peas

Heat the oils in a large heavy bottom pan and stir in the curry paste. Fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring, then add the coconut milk, lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and zest, simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the prawns, chillis and mangetout and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the prawns are just cooked through. Throw in the Thai basil, stir and serve over rice.

Variation: peas, green beans, runner beans, snap peas all work well instead of the mangetout peas.

Cook’s Tip You can buy ready made Green Curry Paste from Asian markets and it is usually pretty good so it is worth having some in the cupboard for when you haven’t the time or ingredients to make your own paste but if you want to make your own see recipes for East Asian Curry Pastes.
28/11/2006