Grilled Cajun Prawns Sweet Potato Mash & Holy Trinity Veg

Loving my Jamie Oliver cookbook at the moment! So many more recipes to try out! Here's another one of his yummy recipes.

Recipe adapted from Jamie's 15 Minute Meals, page 120

*Ingredients out *Kettle boiled *Oven grill on high *Food processor (thick slicer) *Large lidded pan, high heat *Large frying pan, medium heat

Serves 4
Ingredients
Mash

800g sweet potatoes

Prawns
20 large raw shell on tiger prawns
3 cloves of garlic
1½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ a bunch of fresh thyme
1 lemon

Vegetables
1 green capsicum
1 red capsicum
4 shallots
1 long red chilli, deseeded
310g tinned corn kernels
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice

Method

Wash the sweet potatoes and slice in the processor. Put into the lidded pan with a pinch of salt, then cover with boiling water and the lid. Put the prawns into a roasting tray, squash over the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher, then toss with the Cajun seasoning, olive oil and the thyme sprigs. Spread out in a single layer and pop on a high heat for a couple of minutes to crisp the bottoms of the prawns up, then place under the grill until the tops are sizzling, golden and crispy.

Deseed and roughly chop the capsicums and put into the frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Trim and slice the spring onions and chilli, and add to the pan along with the corn and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and keep things moving.

When cooked through, drain the sweet potatoes in a colander. Return to the pan and mash well. Scatter the veg and avocado over the mash and serve with the crispy prawns and lemon wedges.

Notes: 
I omitted the cheese in the sweet potato mash and added 1 ripe avocado to the vegetables. I also increased the number of prawns from 16 to 20 since I thought it'd be nice for each person to have an extra prawn :)

Won Tons

Won tons are great to freeze when making a big batch. When I'm feeling lazy or tired and I want a quick and nutritious meal, I take a box of won tons straight out of the freezer, pop it into some boiling stock and 5 minutes later, it's ready to be eaten.

There are many techniques used to fold won tons. I've even seen some recipe books of chefs folding won tons the same way as tortellini! Whilst the tortellini method may look pretty, it's not the traditional way of folding won tons! The method that I have described below is the best in terms of maximising storage space for a freeze container. 

Ingredients

1 pkt, wonton wrappers
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 bunch Asian greens
1 small bowl of water (to seal the wonton wrappers)

Wonton filling:

200g pork mince
500g prawns, chopped
2 pieces dried cloud ear fungus
3 tablespoons corn flour
4 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar


Method

Pour boiling water over the fungus and soak for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and chop finely.

Mix the pork mince, prawns, fungus, cornflour, light soy sauce and sugar together in a large bowl then cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours.

Place 1 wonton wrapper on a clean surface. Place 1 teaspoon of filling into the centre. Brush edges of the won ton wrappers with a little water using the tip of your finger or a pastry brush. Fold the won ton wrapper diagonally in half to form a triangle. Press edges together. Fold base corners of triangle over each other to form an open envelope. Fold back the top of the envelope to form a small rectangle. Repeat using remaining wrappers and pork mixture.

Bring stock to the boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Drop wontons, in batches, into the boiling stock. Boil, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until wontons float and filling is cooked through.

Remove to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Cover to keep warm.

Just before serving add Asian greens to boiling stock. Cook for 30 seconds or until just wilted. Divide wontons between serving bowls. Ladle over stock and Asian greens. Serve.

Udon Noodle Soup with Crumbed Prawn Cutlets

Panko breadcrumbs make these prawns deliciously crunchy but if you don't have any just substitute with fresh breadcrumbs. Dried or long-life udon noodles are great to keep in the pantry, so you can turn out something as light and comforting as these soupy noodles on the spot.

Ingredients

20g instant dashi powder
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
6-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30mins and then thinly sliced
250g dried or 400g long-life udon noodles
10 medium green prawns, shelled (tail left on)
1 egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
200g silken tofu, cubed
1 bunch Chinese green leaf vegetables, trimmed (e.g. baby bok choy, baby choy sum, Chinese cabbage)

Serves 2-3


Method

1. For the broth, bring 800 millilitres of water to the boil, then add the dashi powder, mirin and soy sauce and simmer for two minutes. 
2. Add the mushrooms and simmer gently for five minutes. 
3. If using dried noodles, cook them in simmering water for 9 to 10 minutes until tender, then drain and rinse. If using longlife, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, gently separate with chopsticks, then drain and rinse. 
4. Meanwhile, cut each prawn along the back and remove any intestinal tract. Open it out and run a rolling pin gently over it to flatten the meat and trim neatly. 
5. Beat the egg until light and frothy. Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Dip each prawn in the egg, then the crumbs, and fry the prawns for one to two minutes each side until crisp and golden. 
6. Add the noodles, spring onions, Chinese vegetables and tofu to the soup and heat through for two minutes. 
7. Using tongs, divide the noodles between warm, shallow pasta bowls. Ladle the soup on top, add the prawns and serve.

Thai Prawn & Pumpkin Curry

Recipe adapted from Super Food Ideas magazine, May 2008 edition, page 37

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil spray
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
400g butternut pumpkin, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces
1 tablespoon fish sauce
270ml can light coconut milk
1 long red chilli (or 2 Birdseye chilli), deseeded, thinly sliced
¾ cup cold water
800g medium green king prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
100g green beans, trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
1 small broccoli, cut into florets, steamed or microwaved
steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange the pumpkin in a single layer, in a large roasting pan. Spray some olive oil and toss to coat. Bake in oven for approx. 8 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat. Cook onion and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Add curry paste. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
3. Add pumpkin, fish sauce, coconut milk, half the chilli and cold water. Simmer for a few minutes or until pumpkin is just tender and sauce has thickened slightly.
4. Add prawns, broccoli and beans. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until prawns are cooked through and beans tender. Top with remaining chilli. Serve with rice.

Linguine with Garlic Prawns & Chilli

Quick, easy and tasty! What more could you want in a recipe? Try it and tell me if you like it :)

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g dried linguine pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil, extra
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh small red chilli, finely chopped
10-12 medium green king prawns, peeled, tails left intact, deveined
1 tbsp chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, following packet directions, until al dente. Drain. Add 1 tbsp olive oil into the pasta and stir, to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other.
2. Meanwhile, heat the extra olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes or until aromatic. Increase heat to medium, add the prawns and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until the prawns curl, change colour and are just cooked through.
3. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

Deseed the chilli if you prefer less spicyness in your pasta

Coconut Prawns with Mango Mayonnaise

Seafood fans will enjoy this recipe for freshly-fried prawns coated in a light crisp batter. The crisp batter in this dish is a little out of the ordinary - it includes coconut cream! So try these prawns with a twist!

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup plain flour
¼ tsp caster sugar
1 tbs coconut cream
1 egg, beaten
1cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
18 green prawns, peeled (tails intact), deveined
Canola oil, to deep-fry

Mango Mayonnaise

1 ripe mango, flesh finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lime, plus extra wedges to serve
½ cup (300g) whole-egg mayonnaise
1 small red chilli, seeded, finely chopped

Method

1. For mango mayonnaise, place mango, lime juice and zest, mayonnaise and half the chilli in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Place in a serving dish and refrigerate until needed.
2. Mix flour and sugar in a bowl and season. In another bowl, beat coconut cream and egg with a fork. In a third, mix crumbs and coconut. Dip prawns first in the flour, then the egg, then the coconut crumbs. Chill until needed.
3. Half-fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan with oil and heat to 190°C (or test a cube of bread - it will turn golden in 30 seconds when oil is ready). Fry prawns, in batches, for 1-2 minutes until golden, turning if necessary. Drain on paper towel. Serve with mayonnaise, topped with remaining chilli.

Notes & Tips

Panko breadcrumbs can be found in Asian specialty stores. Substitute with dry breadcrumbs if none available.