February 25, 2024

Prawns in Spicy Tomato Sauce

The first time I had Prawns in Spicy Tomato Sauce was in a fish restaurant in Fayid, a small fishing town half way up the Suez Canal. It was a side dish as part of a fish mezze. I must admit the idea of having prawns in a tomato sauce didn’t really appeal to me at all, initially. But I was encouraged to try it and that was it, I was totally sold. It was bursting with flavour. The dish was laced with garlic, a dash of lemon and it had a zing of chilli that just made music on my taste buds.

Prawns cook so quickly and yet taste so good.

It’s really quick to prepare this dish, making it great for a mid-week supper to be shared with family and friends for the busy cook. It’s great served with rice or could be served with warm, flat bread to scoop up the sauce.

Ingredients

500g king prawns – peeled and de-veined
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions – thinly sliced
1 red pepper – cut in half lengthways, de-seeded and sliced into 1cm strips
1 green pepper – cut in half lengthways, de-seeded and sliced into 1cm strips
8 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 large tomatoes – peeled and chopped
2 red chilli thinly sliced into rings
1 heaped tsp turmeric
2 cups chicken stock
1 handful fresh coriander leaves chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

serve with lemon wedges

Here’s how to make Prawns in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

First cook the onions and peppers

Heat up a wok or a large sauce pan over a high heat.

Pour in the oil, onions and sliced peppers and fry until the onions take on a golden colour – stir continuously so that they don’t burn.

Make the delicious tomato sauce

Add the garlic and fry for just a minute until they begin to release their wonderful aroma then add the chopped tomatoes, chilli, turmeric and stock. Reduce the heat slightly and continue stirring occasionally as the sauce cooks for a further 3-4 minutes.

Add the prawns and cook for just a couple of minutes

Add the prawns and turn them over in the sauce for a couple of minutes until they take on their glorious pink colour showing they are cooked.

When they turn pink, they’re done

Quickly take the pan off the heat once your prawns are cooked. They’ll become tough if they remain on the heat too long. , and you don’t want that, so make sure that doesn’t happen.