Butter Prawn (Makhani) Curry

Cooking Intructions

• 1. If you are using unpeeled prawns, defrost and peel them. If not, defrost your prawns. We recommend using raw prawns for this, as we will be cooking them. Add your prawns to a bowl and cover with the juice of half a lemon, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
• 2. In another bowl, add the ingredients for the marinade and combine well. Add the prawns in and coat well. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in your fridge to marinade while we cook the sauce.
• 3. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil to a large and deep frying pan with a sprinkling of a few cumin seeds over high heat. When the cumin seeds start to bubble, add the rest of them to the pan and lift the pan off the heat. This will cook the seeds in the ambient heat and prevent them from burning. Reduce the heat, place the pan back down and add the chillies. When the chillies begin to blister, add the butter. Move the pan to melt the butter and prevent browning. When the butter is melted, add the onions.
• 4. Cook the onions over a medium-high heat for around 10 minutes to soften them and turn them light brown. The onion should easily crush under your spoon and almost melt away. When this has been achieved, using a spatula, scrape the mixture into a blender or mini chopper and blend until it forms a paste. This is the base of your curry sauce.
• 5. Using the same, now scraped clean pan, add a drop of vegetable oil and the cardamom pods over a medium-high heat. When these have lightened in colour, add the garlic and ginger and fry for around 30 seconds until the smell of raw garlic and ginger has subsided. Add the curry base back into the pan and mix until well combined. Add the spices and a pinch of salt and mix well again, and then add the passata and water. Combine again and reduce to a simmer after the sauce has boiled. This will now thicken. Add a lid and simmer while we cook the prawns.
• 6. Remove the prawns from the fridge and skewer them. I like to try and skewer them lengthways for even cooking. Turn the grill on the highest heat it will go, and when hot, place your skewers on a tray under the grill. Grill for around 3 minutes on each side to cook and slightly charr the marinade. In the summer, a BBQ is perfect for this step! After cooking both sides, remove the prawns from the heat.
• 7. After cooking your sauce, stir through the cream until thoroughly combined. Remove the prawns from the skewers and straight into the sauce using a fork. Carefully stir the prawns into the sauce so as not to knock away the marinade.
• 8. Now it’s time to serve! Add your curry to a bowl and serve with a drizzle of cream, topped with coriander leaves and your choice of rice, naan or both! Sit back and enjoy!!