Prawn Curry and a temporary fridge break down

I was out for a walk the other morning and it was such an amazing day I had to stop everywhere and take photos! Not great from an exercise point of view but good for the soul! Already just after 7 am it was warm and the sun was gazing down, carrying the promise of a lovely day. All my plans went out of the window and we packed some snacks, drinks got the dog and went to the beach.
The seagulls were squabbling in the background whilst cracking the shells of cockles. There was a light breeze, just enough to cool a hot day down and make it comfortable, a perfect day for the beach.
The only shadow of the day was a slight freezer malfunction. It had to be defrosted and I had to make dinner from what I had in it. I had a lobster and a bag of prawns that would have to be eaten that day. I also had a bag of prawns and a lot of vegetables in the fridge that I took the opportunity to clean.
I wanted a light dinner and opted for a veg loaded prawn curry. One of my friends was talking about Swedish starters and I decided to make lobster, Skagen style, on toast whilst the curry was cooking.
This is a perfect starter to make for friends, everything can be prepared beforehand and is quickly assembled. Prawns, smoked salmon or mushrooms is just as delicious.
Lobster and avocado on toast
preparation time 5 minutes
cooking time 0 minutes
serves 2 as a starter
Ingredients
- 1 small lobster
- 1 avocado, peeled, stone removed and cubed
- 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup mayonnaise, I used a light version
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
- 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup of dill, chopped fine
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
- a pinch of crushed chili
- a pinch of sea salt
- toast
Remove the shell and the intestine from the lobster and cut it in to cubes. Mix with the avocado, onion, dill, crushed garlic and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and taste with chilli and salt.
Toast the bread and cut out a base. Place the lobster mixture on the toast and tuck in. Yes, there is toast underneath but I admit it was somewhat undersized.
Prawn and vegetable curry
preparation time 10 minutes
cooking time 25 minutes
serves 2
Ingredients
- 225 gram or 8 oz raw prawns
- 1 ½ dl or 3/4 cup Mung Dal lentils
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
- 1 beetroot, peeled and cut julienne
- 1 handful of kale, chopped
- 1/2 butternut squash, peeled, de seeded and cut in to chunks
- 1 dl or 1/2 cup sweetcorn
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp oil
I didn’t want the prawns to overcook so, crazy or not, I decided to cook them separate. Start by removing the intestine of the prawn. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Turn the heat off and add the prawns. Let them stand until you are ready to add them to the curry, just before serving.
Peel and chop the vegetables. I had enoki mushrooms as well but the curry had so many vegetables I didn’t use them in the end.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once they start to pop add the vegetables and let cook for a couple of minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the curry to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.
Add the prawns just before serving.
I was pretty sure that the curry alone covered my five a day. It was light and in the end my freezer incident turned out to be quite tasty.
Good recipe Petra…..hope to try it myself 🙂
Hi Priyabrataa
Sometimes I love cooking with ingredients I find in my kitchen, especially when it turns out nice! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Sounds perfect Petra!
hi Zeba
Thank you. I like a bit of a challenge sometimes, all plans set aside and it turned out dinner was just fine! 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!