King Prawns In Saffron Almond Sauce Food

KING PRAWNS IN SAFFRON ALMOND SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce. Tip the cashews and almonds into a saucepan and just cover with cold water. Boil gently for 20 minutes until slightly softened. Tip the nuts and water into a food processor and blend.
• Heat the ghee or butter in a heavy saucepan, add the bay leaf, cardamoms and onion and fry for 8-10 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and chilli and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the turmeric and fry until the onion turns yellow, which should take another minute. Now stir in the nut purée and cook the paste carefully, stirring regularly until yellow. Pour in 150ml of the fish stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes. As the sauce turns glossy, add the infused saffron, sugar and cream, sprinkle in the garam masala and season with salt. Simmer for a few more minutes. The sauce should be too thick to pour, but thin enough to spoon, so you may need to dilute it with more fish stock. (The sauce can be made up to an hour ahead.)
• Tip the prawns into a bowl, and mix in a sprinkling of salt and all the ingredients for the first marinade. If this looks dry, add a drop of water. Set aside for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a large pan and sear the prawns for 20 seconds so they curl up. Remove and set aside to cool.
• Mix ingredients together for the second marinade, toss prawns in it (they can be left for up to 1 hour).
• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Pierce a long wooden skewer through the tail of each prawn and thread it through to the tip of the head. Prop the skewers on a roasting tray and roast for 6-8 minutes until lightly charred. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce and add more stock if it is too thick. Serve the prawns on a large plate in a pool of sauce for people to help themselves, with the extra sauce and pilau rice in bowls.

SAUTéED SHRIMP WITH GARLIC AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Put 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add 3 sliced garlic cloves, and cook until golden.
• Stir in 1 1/2 pounds peeled shrimp, 1 teaspoon each smoked paprika and ground cumin and a pinch of saffron (optional).
• Cook, turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink, 5 to 10 minutes.

JHINGA NISHA (PRAWNS IN SAFFRON, CASHEW NUT AND ALMOND SAUCE!)

Steps:

• Drop almonds and cashewnuts in 2 separate pans of boiling water.
• Boil for 30 minutes and drain.
• Peel the almonds by slipping them out of their skins and place in a food processor with the boiled cashewnuts.
• Whiz until they form a paste.
• Meanwhile, peel, wash and de-vein the prawns by making a small incision down the length of the back of each prawn and removing its black digestive cord.
• Wash and pat dry.
• Crumble saffron into warm milk.
• Leave to infuse.
• Remove the tiny black cardamom seeds and grind to a fine powder.
• Set aside.
• Heat the ghee in a wide pan over medium-high flame.
• Saute the onions until golden and the oil starts to separate from them.
• Add chillies and ginger.
• Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly, then mix in the nut paste (prepared above) and keep stirring until the ghee separates out and the paste leaves the sides of the pan.
• Add the prawns and 2 tbsps.
• of cold water.
• Keep stirring, adding a further 2 tbsps of cold water two or three times, until the prawns begin to turn pink and the sauce is a nice consistency.
• Mix in the saffron-milk mixture, season to taste and simmer for a minute until prawns are cooked.
• Finally, add the cream and once hot transfer to a serving dish.
• Sprinkle with cardamom powder and fresh green corriander leaves.
• Serve hot with steamed Basmati white rice.

PRAWNS WITH ALMOND SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the dried chili in a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover.
• Leave to soak for 30 minutes until softened.
• Drain, remove the stalk, then slit the chili and scrape out the seeds with a small sharp knife.
• Chop the flesh roughly and set it aside.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
• Cut a cross in the base of each tomato.
• Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover.
• After 3 minutes, lift the tomatoes out on a slotted spoon and plunge them into a bowl of cold water, drain.
• The skins will have begun to peel back.
• Skin the tomatoes completely, then cut them in half and scoop out the seeds.
• Chop the flesh into 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the onion mixture, with the chopped chilli.
• Stir in the ground cumin and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Tip the mixture into a food processor or blender.
• Add the stock and process on high speed until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a large saucepan, add the ground almonds and stir over a low heat 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in the creme fraiche until it has been incorporated completely.
• Squeeze the juice from the lime and stir it into the sauce.
• Season with salt to taste, then increase the heat and bring the sauce to simmering point.
• Add the prawns and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the size, until warmed through.
• Serve on a bed of rice and offer warm tortillas separately.