Salty, sweet and sour, these prawns make a perfect match for the juicy watermelon.
Grilled prawns with tamarind, coconut rice and watermelon
Salty, sweet and sour, these grilled prawns with tamarind make a perfect match for the coconut rice and juicy watermelon in this recipe.
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 20 uncooked prawns, cleaned, tails intact
- 4 red shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk (white part only), finely chopped
- 2 tbsp finely grated palm sugar
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1½ tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander, plus extra to serve
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic chives
- 100 gm watermelon, cut into small dice
- ½ cup (loosely packed) Thai basil
- Fried shallots and lime wedges, to serve
Coconut rice
- 400 gm jasmine rice, rinsed
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 200 ml water
- 1 pandan leaf (optional) (10 gm)
- 2 cm piece of ginger
Method
Main
- 1For coconut rice, combine ingredients, 200ml water and ¾ tsp sea salt in a saucepan, bring to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, then, without uncovering, leave to steam for 5 minutes.
- 2Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat, add prawns, shallot, garlic and lemongrass and stir-fry until prawns start to colour (about 1 minute). Combine sugar, fish sauce, tamarind and 125ml water, taste and adjust so mixture is a balance of sweet, sour and salty. Add to wok and stir-fry to reduce sauce a little (2-3 minutes). Stir in coriander and garlic chives, serve on coconut rice and top with watermelon, Thai basil, extra coriander, fried shallots and lime wedges.