Mozambique Prawn Curry

Mozambique cuisine is greatly influenced by the Portuguese who colonised the country for 500 years, and has at its core a variety of delicious seafood dishes. Mozambique’s friendly people consider their shellfish to be the best in the world. Here’s a taste of one of their favourite local dishes.

Serves 3-5

Mozambique Prawn Curry

Serves 3-5

Mozambique cuisine is greatly influenced by the Portuguese who colonised the country for 500 years, and has at its core a variety of delicious seafood dishes. Mozambique's friendly people consider their shellfish to be the best in the world. Here's a taste of one of their favourite local dishes.

Ingredients

800 g size 16/20 prawns, head on and deveined
4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) fish masala
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground coriander
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) turmeric
1½ tbsp (22.5 ml) roasted masala
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) grated ginger
1½ tsp (7.5 ml) crushed garlic
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) crushed chillies
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
5 curry leaves
1 can coconut cream
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

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Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onions. Sauté the onions until golden brown. Mix all the spices, ginger and garlic and add to the onions. Stir through for a further 5 minutes until the aromas of the spices are released. Add a little water to deglaze if required.
Add the tomato and curry leaves and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. Now add the prawns and heat through until the prawns have turned a pink-orange colour.
Lastly, stir through ½ can of the coconut cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not bring to the boil as this might cause splitting of the cream.
Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with basmati rice.
Note: If you prefer a heavy coconut flavour to the curry, you can add all the contents of one tin of coconut cream.

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Shallow Pan Fry Fish

Use hot oil for best results. This will ensure a crispy outside with a moist inside. Do not fry too slowly, as the fish will be limp and pale and might fall apart. Cover base of pan with oil. Butter adds flavour, but because it can burn, add a little oil. The frying time can vary from 6 – 8 minutes depending on thickness of the portion. To establish when the oil is ready for frying, dip a cube of bread in the oil. It should turn light brown in 90 seconds.