recipe: Prawn & Coconut Omelette

This recipe is quite easy...except the omelette...I cannot seem to get the hang of cooking a perfect flawless omelette...so...try it anyway, but cook the eggs your way...the best you can.

Serves 4:
About 15 prawns, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp turmeric, 6 eggs, 1 spring onion finely chopped, 2 tsp olive oil, 1 shallot thinly sliced, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp raw sugar, 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts, 1/3 cup chopped coriander, 1/4 cup chopped basil, 1/4 cup shopped mint

1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan or wok. Add shallots and cook for a couple of minutes until soft.
2. Add prawns, cook for another 3 minutes until pink, add hoisin and fish sauce, bean sprouts and remove from heat. Correct seasoning;
3. Mix eggs, coconut milk, spring onion and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, divide mixture and make 4 omelettes;
4. Divide omelettes amongst plates and spoon prawn mixture on half of it Top the mixture with the chopped basil, mint and coriander, close the omelette over it and serve;

Easy!

recipe: Seppie al Nero

I got this recipe again from Nigella Lawson (I have made some modifications...), and I was very excited to try it on, first because I love squid, and second because I kinda liked the idea of having a pitch black meal fro a change....needles to say I didn't get it quite right as you can see in the photos...I got a brownish dish...full of flavour still, but without the wow factor that black would have. And the problem is that instead of using ready bought squid ink...I extracted it myself...a quite disgusting process to say the least...but I couldn't find it anywhere around me...so, my advise is, if you cant find squid ink, don't bother de-gutting the poor animal and forget about the ink all around.

Do try the recipe, its very very good!

Serves 4:
500g squid, 1 tbsp olive oil,1 bay leaf, 1 brown onion finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves crushed, 2 tomatoes chopped, 1/3 cup white wine, 3 tbsp chopped parsley, squid ink, salt & pepper to taste, white rice to serve

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add bay leaf, chopped onion and garlic and cook in low heat until it all gets soft;
2. Add squid and ink and stir to coat;
3. Add chopped tomatoes, wine and parsley and let simmer covered for half and hour;
4. Season with salt and pepper, serve with white rice topped with more chopped parsley.

recipe: Prawn, coriander & Rice Salad

This recipe is one of the easiest I made recently and full of flavour.
Serves 4:

12 raw prawns (I used ones marinated in lemon/garlic/herbs), 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice, 1/2 cup coconut cream, 1 lime - both the zest and the juice, 1 bunch fresh coriander, 2 tbs brown rice, 1 long red chilli, 1 cucumber chopped in small cubes, 4 spring onion finely chopped, 2 tbs olive oil, 1/4 cup roasted peanuts crushed

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions. Wash with cold water, drain and place in a large bowl;
2. Place the lime zest, juice, coconut cream, coriander and sugar in a blender and blend until you get a smooth cream;
3. Finely chop the chilli (after removing the seeds) and add to the coconut cream;
4. Sauté your prawns on a fry pan a couple of minutes each side until they are cooked (careful not to overcook them);
5. Place the chopped cucumber, prawns and cream in the bowl and mix to coat;
6. Throw the spring onions, the olive oil and mix again;
7. Serve in plates, top with the crushed peanuts and some coriander leaves.

Perfect, delicious, yuuuuummmm!!! I was really happy with this one!

recipe: CHILI PRAWN & TOMATO PASTA

If you don't like spicy food, reduce the chili amount, it was enough for me...
Serves 4:

raw prawns shells removed and deveined (about 20), 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced, 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes, 5 tomatoes thinly chopped, 1/3 cup water, 375 g linguinni, a small bunch of chopped coriander ( i used a bit of chives from the garden as well)

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and reserve 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic together with the chili until fragrant (about 1 minute)
3. Add the prawns and cook stirring until coated.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, water and simmer for a couple of minutes.
4. Finally add the chopped coriander (or parsley) and top with the pasta.

It was pretty good and an easy/ fast meal for a week night.