Coconut Prawn and Crayfish Curry

SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 45 minutes
COOKING TIME: 20 minutes
WINE MATCH: Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Ingredients:

• 800 grams whole banana or black tiger prawns
• 1 x crayfish/lobster pre blanched
• 2 kumara in large dice
• 1 tablespoons peanut oil
• 650ml coconut milk
• 3 long red chillies, halved lengthways
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, torn, plus extra julienned to serve

To serve: julienned ginger, Thai basil leaves and steamed jasmine rice 

Curry Paste:

• 35small dried red chillies, broken up and soaked in hot water for 2 hours
• ½ teaspoon each coriander seeds and black peppercorns
• 10grams fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 5grams galangal, coarsely chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, coarsely chopped
• 1red shallot, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons roasted shrimp paste
• Finely grated rind of 1 kaffir lime

Recipe:

1. For curry paste: Drain and chop chillies, and dry-roast whole spices until fragrant (15-20 seconds). Cool briefly, then crush with a mortar and pestle. Add turmeric, garlic, galangal, lemongrass and a pinch of salt and pound to a coarse paste. Add shallot, shrimp paste, rind and chillies, and pound until smooth. Curry paste will keep frozen for 3 weeks.
2. Clean and shell prawns, leaving on the head and tail. Blanch cray and kumara dice.
3. Heat oil in a large wok until hot. Add curry paste and stir until fragrant (10-20 seconds). Add coconut milk and bring to the boil, then add chillies, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaves, and simmer until well flavoured (2-4 minutes). Add prawn, lobster, kumara and cook through (5 minutes). Throw over ginger, Thai basil and extra kaffir lime and serve with steamed jasmine rice.