Jono & Jules do food & wine

A really nice, mild prawn curry (if you don’t chew the chillies) and one we’ll do again as it was so tasty. Serve with some plain basmati rice.

Prawn and Cashew Nut Curry – to serve 4

• 30g peeled fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
• 6 fat garlic cloves, halved
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 60g raw cashew nuts
• scant 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• scant 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 rounded tbsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• generous 3/4-1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 4-6 red or green chillies, or to taste, leave them whole or slit them for more heat
• 400ml creamy coconut milk
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 350g large raw prawns shelled, deveined and rinsed

Blend the ginger and garlic to a fine paste, adding a bit of water to help (we used a stick blender). Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a non-stick saucepan; add the nuts and stir-fry until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, toss in little salt and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and when hot add the fenugreek and mustard seeds. Let them pop for a minute and add the onion when they start to calm down, cook gently until soft. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook until any excess moisture is gone, then reduce the heat to low and stir for a couple of minutes until the garlic smells cooked.

Add the spices and chillies, some salt and a splash of water. When the water has dried up add 250ml of the thinner part of the coconut milk (skim off the creamier stuff at the top of the can and keep for later), 100ml water and the vinegar.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning – if the garlic still tastes raw then leave for another 5 minutes before checking again.

Add the prawns and cook until opaque; about 3 minutes should do it. Stir in the remaining, thicker coconut milk and the nuts.

Wine Suggestion: Indian food is notoriously difficult to pair wine with, a Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris should give nice pure fruit with not too high acidity and it should match the aromatic flavours in the curry – maybe avoid the whole chillies!

(Original recipe from Anjum Anand’s I ♥ Curry, Quadrille, 2010.)