With pineapples being huge, sweet and ripe- right now- it is time to get stuck in to them! This yummy curry wraps the taste of summer into a nutritious home cooked meal.
I call this a Malaysian-style dish because it my own rendition of it and I cannot guarantee that it is 100% authentic.
Creamy and luxurious, it offers a beautiful balance between salty and sweet due to the pineapple. Delicious served with steamed rice, I guarantee that you will be licking the last morsels from your bowl.
Helpful Hint– try to get the freshest most tender lemongrass you can find to avoid fibrous bits in the blender.
What you need:
1 tsp dried shrimp paste*
4 dried red chillies or 2 medium fresh red chillies**
5 eshallots
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp grated fresh galangal or powdered galangal
1 tbs turmeric powder
4 lemongrass stalks
150 ml vegetable oil
200 ml coconut milk
250 ml water
1 ½ cup pineapple cubes
300 g prawns
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste (can substitute for the juice of 1 lime)
3 kaffir lime leaves
*available from Asian grocers or can substitute with two anchovies
**if you prefer a milder curry, then you can reduce or eliminate these chillies or simply remove their seeds.
Method:
Toast shrimp paste over the fire or in a dry pan until fragrant. Blend shrimp paste, chillies, shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric and lemongrass to form a curry paste. Add water to ease the blending process.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat to sauté the blended ingredients until fragrant and the paste changed into a darker shade of red.
Add coconut milk. Add pineapple and allow to simmer for 2 to 5 minutes.
Add prawns, tamarind paste and sugar. Turn off the stove when the prawns (about 3-4 minutes) are just cooked (they will be pink!) and add kaffir lime leaves. Mix evenly and serve with steamed rice.
