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Turmeric and coconut grilled prawns with mint and cucumber salad

This simple spiced coconut sauce adds a lot of flavour to barbecued prawns (or fish or chicken, for that matter). Vietnamese mint gives a beautiful lift, but this dish works just as well with other mints.

By Lisa Featherby
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 10 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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This simple spiced coconut sauce adds a lot of flavour to barbecued prawns (or fish or chicken, for that matter). Vietnamese mint gives a beautiful lift, but this dish works just as well with other mints.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 70 gm sambal belacan (see note)
  • 3 tsp finely grated ginger
  • 2-3 tsp ground turmeric
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • Juice of ½ lime plus extra to serve
  • 1 kg uncooked prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 2 cups (loosely packed) Vietnamese mint
  • 1 telegraph cucumber, half-peeled, diced
  • 2 red shallots, very thinly sliced
  • Toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Method

  • 1
    Heat oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Stir-fry sambal belacan until fragrant (1 minute), then add ginger and turmeric, and stir to just combine. Add coconut milk and bring to the boil,
    stirring to combine thoroughly (1-2 minutes). Season with lime juice and salt and cool
    completely (stir the sauce in a bowl over ice to speed things up).
  • 2
    Toss prawns in a bowl with half the sauce to coat and refrigerate until required.
  • 3
    Combine mint, cucumber and shallot in a bowl.
  • 4
    Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue to high. Grill prawns until charred and just cooked (1-2 minutes each side). Transfer to a bowl, add remaining sauce and toss to coat. Serve scattered with mint and cucumber salad, and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

Sambal belacan, a Malaysian chilli paste, is available at Asian grocers and select supermarkets.
Drink Suggestion: Fragrant, rich pinot gris. Drink suggestion by Max Allen