Prawn and mango curry

The science of eating well: exotic, healthy, quick and delicious recipes.

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Our first adventure is to Kerala, on the Malabar Coast in India for a prawn and mango curry. I’ve adapted a traditional curry which is a personal favorite. Prawns have gotten a bad rap for their cholesterol content, which is a bit high. However, they contain a lot of really good stuff like selenium (a great antioxidant), zinc (good for the immune system) and magnesium. I have also included lab-created “meat” which goes with just about anything. You can substitute chicken breast for both the “meat” and prawns in the same amounts. The dish takes only about 15-20 minutes cooking time (the longer time if you use raw prawns—or uncooked chicken—instead of precooked ones).

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil pref. olive oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 large green pepper, cut lengthways
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 cups frozen (thawed) or fresh ripe mangoes
• 500g (1.1 lbs) cooked prawns (or chicken)
• 200g (.44 lbs) meat-free “meat” pieces (or chicken)
• 2 cups thin coconut milk
• ½ cup skim milk yoghurt—I prefer Greek yoghurt (this is instead of thick coconut milk)
• ½ cup water

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Quick fry mustard seeds for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Lower heat slightly and tip in onion, and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
2. Add ginger, garlic, green pepper and curry powder. Sauté for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir frequently. Add desiccated coconut, and fry for a minute or two. Stir in ground turmeric, ground coriander and red chili powder. Fry for a minute.
3. Add mangoes, prawns and “meat.” Pour thin coconut milk and water. Cook, covered, for +/- 5 minutes (10 minutes if either the chicken or the prawns are uncooked).
4. Stir in yoghurt, and cook, covered, for another 4 minutes to thicken the sauce.
5. Serve with steamed long grain rice/basmati rice.

Yield: 7 servings

Energy: +/- 1359 KJ (325 calories) per serving