Mauritian Prawn Curry

When I was growing up, there was always one holiday destination that really piqued my interest. Somewhere that sounded the most exotic and luxurious place to visit. That location was Mauritius. As we grew older, some friends visited Mauritius for their honeymoon and returned with tales that made the island sound even more wonderful than I had ever dreamed.

What I didn’t know at the time was how interesting the food and culture of Mauritius would be. We have never actually made it to Mauritius (yet) but we get the next best thing by enjoying our Mauritian Prawn Curry.

Mauritian curries traditional contain potatoes, tomatoes and carry a fair kick of heat – I use a whole green chilli for our family curry but if it was just me & Mr C, I would be tempted to use perhaps another half a chilli as well.

The colour of this curry is just wonderful – the turmeric gives a warm yellow glow. I add red pepper and green beans for a taste of extra fresh vegetables. Serve with sticky rice and you have a dish than can transport you to exotic climates.

Serves	4
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Allergy	Shellfish
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Medium Onion (Finely Chopped)
• 1 clove Garlic (Finely Chopped)
• 1 can Chopped Tomatoes
• 3 Large Fresh Tomatoes (Chopped into cubes)
• 2 Large Par boiled Potatoes (Chopped into 2cm cubes)
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 Green Chilli (Deseeded and Chopped finely)
• 1 Red Pepper (Chopped into small chunks)
• 1 sprig Fresh Thyme
• 100g Fresh Green Beans (Chopped into 3)
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder (We use a medium curry powder)
• 400g Frozen Cooked Prawns
• 1 Cm Fresh Ginger (Finely Chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 2 tablespoons Fresh Coriander (Finely Chopped)

NOTE

You can omit the fresh tomatoes if you like and mix in other fresh vegetables such as sugar snap peas, mushrooms – Continue to cook for longer if you want a deeper taste however only add the prawns 5-5 minutes from the end

DIRECTIONS

1.
In a large pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Cooking through until soft and transparent
2.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3.
Add both types of tomatoes, red pepper, potatoes and green beans and cook for 5 minutes
4.
Add all the spices except the coriander and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not mushy
5.
Add the fresh coriander and prawns and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes
6.
Add some boiled water if you like your curry more liquid than this presents
7.
Serve immediately with a portion of sticky white rice per person and a sprig of coriander on top