Prawn, pumpkin & coconut stew
I wish I had a pound for every time I’ve cooked this. Despite the long ingredients list, it is such an easy supper.
Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 tbsp groundnut oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillis, deseeded and chopped
3cm cube fresh ginger, grated to a purée
400ml coconut cream
750ml chicken or fish stock
350g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3cm cubes (prepared weight)
150g waxy baby potatoes, halved or quartered
20g fresh coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
400g large raw prawns, shelled
300g baby spinach leaves
1-2 limes, juiced
1/2 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce, plus extra for seasoning
To serve
red chilli, thinly silced lime wedges
Method
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Halve the onion, then cut each half into crescent moon-shaped wedges about 2cm thick at the thickest part. Heat the oil in a casserole dish. Cook the onion until soft and pale gold, then add the garlic, chillis and ginger, and cook for 2 mins more. Stir in the coconut cream, stock and some seasoning. Heat carefully, but don’t let it boil.
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Add the pumpkin and potato, season again, then add the coriander stalks. Simmer until the pumpkin and potatoes are tender. Use a wooden spoon to squash some of the pumpkin if you want to to thicken the stew a little, but don’t break it down too much (you don’t want a purée).
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Add the prawns and spinach. Cook gently until the prawns are opaque, about 3 mins. Stir in the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce. Taste the stew, then adjust the flavour with more lime or fish sauce as needed. Roughly chop the coriander leaves, then stir them through. Top each portion of the stew with some sliced red chilli, and serve with lime wedges on the side.
