Spot Prawn Coconut Curry
Spot prawn Coconut Curry is the most requested recipe of all the dinners I serve at Chrome Chasers Lodge in Wrangell, Alaska. I set out on a mission to develop a curry recipe that was remarkably delicious yet easy for our guests to duplicate at home with the seafood they bring home. When we get home late on big fishing days I am usually short on time for dinner. Aside from soaking the rice overnight, this dish comes together remarkably fast. The specific components used to create this dish are essential for making it as flavorful as it is. The following ingredients are required and cannot be substituted. Arroyo-d coconut milk is my favorite coconut milk because it is thick, sweet, creamy, and easy to incorporate. The Mae Ploy curry paste is also essential because of the perfect amount of spice and red curry flavor. Three Ring Sticky Rice is a game changer. Once you have this sticky rice, you will understand and never choose white rice again for your curry. All of these ingredients can be shipped to you with Amazon if your local Asian market doesn't carry them. One thing to note; you will need a bamboo rice steaming basket to cook the sticky rice in. This too can be purchased on Amazon.
Ingredients
¼ cup of coconut oil
1 large yellow onion chopped in chunks, roughly 1 inch by 1 inch
2 - 6 dried Thai chili peppers (the number depends on your spice preference)
3 - 4 cloves of garlic crushed
2 - 3 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
2 baby bok choy, sliced across the stems in half moons - Separate the whites from the green leaves (Bok Choy is OPTIONAL)
1 - 3 tablespoons of red curry paste (more or less depending on your spice preference)
2 - 4 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves
2 to 3 cups of dried forest mushrooms rehydrated in warm water for a couple of hours
or 2 to 3 cups fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 or 2 8 oz cans sliced bamboo shoots
2 8 oz cans of sliced water chestnuts
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 33.8 fluid ounce jug of Aryo-D Coconut Milk - this is by far the best coconut milk and is so much better than any other brand we have used. It is worth buying this brand if you can find it! If you can’t find the Aryo-D, use 3 cans of 13.66 oz cans of Thai brand coconut.
2 lbs of peeled Alaska Spot Prawns
Fresh cilantro chopped and added at the very end if you like cilantro
Directions
Rehydrate mushrooms by placing them in a large bowl. Submerge the mushrooms in warm water for a couple of hours before you start. You must stir them occasionally so they all get under the liquid. (You can save the mushroom water for soup broth as it adds a nice flavor to other dishes.)
Prepare rice of your choice according to package instructions. We prefer Thai sticky rice steamed in a bamboo basket.
Add the coconut oil in a deep pan or large wok on medium-high heat and saute the yellow onion until translucent, for about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the dried peppers, crushed garlic, ginger, and baby bok choy whites. Saute the mix over medium heat for another minute or two. Add the curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and drained vegetables to your wok and heat the mixture over medium heat. Do not add the coconut milk until your other ingredients are hot. You do not want to heat the coconut milk for long as it will change the flavor. It does not need to be cooked. Add the coconut milk to the hot vegetables and bring to a simmer. Stir the mixture well to incorporate all the sauce ingredients. Stir in the spot prawns right before you eat. They will cook very quickly in the hot coconut milk. Do not overcook the spot prawns! They will get dense and hard and chewy. You want them just hot and still soft. The red color will darken slightly. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro just before serving.