Come May Day, our village turns into a metropolis with a full-on traditional fair encompassing the noble arts of welly-wanging, terrier racing and culminating in the crowning of the May Day Queen. This is a fine occasion which brings together the great and the good of the community. The children in particular love the celebrations, but more for the amount of sweets they can win on the tombola stand and then quickly scoff before their parents can confiscate them. Buzzing with an overload of confectionery, I was bounced around the fair by my two children acting as honorary banker for the day. It wasn’t long until we happened upon the coconut shy which has proved fruitful in the past. This year was no exception, with my son expertly knocking one of the hairy blighters to the floor. Armed now with the children’s general detritus and my hairy companion I began to think of what use we could put him to.
After doing the rounds it was time for the terrier racing. Sadly the reigning champion (and our next door neighbour) ”Dave” was injured. So the field was open. The terrier racing is facilitated using a rather Heath Robinson contraption which releases a length of rope with a rabbit skin tied onto the end. The terriers are dutifully lined up and then the rope is recoiled with the pursuing terriers running like fury. The first terrier past the post is the winner. When the race ended, the dogs fired by their primal adrenalin try in earnest to eat the rabbit skin – commotion ensues, until their owners can drag them back to the starting line for another race!
With May Day behind us and the hairy coconut playing on my mind, I consulted “The Essential” Madhur Jaffrey. Flicking through, the “Kerala-style prawn curry” seemed to fit my requirements nicely.
Ingredients
(serves 4-6)
- 3 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 medium-sized onions, peeled & copped finely
- 0.5cm piece of fresh ginger peeled & cubed
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped
- ½ teacup grated & roasted fresh coconut
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp ground coriander, roasted
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbs tamarind paste
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes (tinned or fresh) peeled & chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 900g medium sized prawns, peeled & deveined
Start by grating the coconut onto a roasting tray and then placing in a hot oven for a few minutes. Keep a careful eye on the coconut, moving it around as it burns very easily. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions until they are soft and slightly brown. Now take off the heat. Blend the ginger, garlic, tomatoes and grated roasted coconut until you have a paste. Now place into a frying pan or pot and add the turmeric, coriander, cayenne, tamarind paste, salt and 150ml of water. Bring to the boil, cover and then simmer for 5 minutes. Seven to eight minutes before serving, bring the sauce back to the boil and add the prawns. Stir continuously until the prawns turn opaque. The sauce should be rich & thick, if it’s too thick add a little water.
I served in warmed bowls with basmati rice and a little of The Pickleman’s Brinjal pickle which is made from aubergine. This prawn curry is light with great intense flavours. Let me know what your favourite pickles/chutneys are to accompany curry?
To Drink
Matching wine with curry is easier said than done, I chose a bottle of Zarcillo Riesling 2009 from the Bio Bio Valley in Chile. This wine is fresh and zesty with good body and a limey tang. The wine went well with the curry having enough body, limey acidity and a little sweetness to cope with the curry flavours. It also represents great value for money at £5.95 from the Wine Society. Let me know what you drink with your curry?
Until next year my hairy, little friend…
