This was very nice, quick to prepare and the Sri Lankan flavours are a nice change to Thai.
Sri Lankan-style prawn & red lentil broth
Serves 4
Prepare 15 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp Sri Lankan Style Curry Paste
• 1 Unwaxed Lime, zest and juice
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 75g red split lentils, rinsed
• 1L fish or chicken stock
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 220g pack cooked Extra Large
King Prawns
• ½x 25g pack coriander, leaves chopped
Instructions:
1 Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a low heat and add the onion, lemongrass, garlic, black peppercorns and salt to season. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until the onion has softened. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute more.
2 Pare a strip of zest from the lime, then add to the pan with the tomatoes, lentils, stock and sugar and bring the broth to a boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, half covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Discard the lemongrass stalks and lime zest strip.
3 Add enough lime juice to sharpen the broth - aim for a sweet-sour flavour. Stir in the prawns, heat through gently until piping hot, then add the coriander and serve.
Tip:
The easiest way to bruise the lemongrass is to give it a bash with a rolling pin. Bruising it will help it release as much flavour as possible and - as it stays in one piece - makes it easy to remove from the sauce.
