- 2 red chillies, deseeded if you want less heat, roughly chopped
- 2-3 large, juicy garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into about 8 coin-shaped pieces
- sprinkling of whole black peppercorns
- good shake each of cumin seeds and coriander seeds
- good sprinkling of ground turmeric
- handful fresh coriander
- handful fresh mint
- sachet of creamed coconut, or half a block of creamed coconut, grated
- couple of handfuls of raw peeled tiger prawns
- handful each of fresh mint and coriander, roughly chopped (reserve a few extra mint leaves for garnish)
- 1 lime, zest only
- good dollop or two plain yoghurt
- To make the spice paste, place the chillies, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds and turmeric into a food processor and blend until roughly chopped. Add the fresh coriander and mint along with the creamed coconut and blend again to form a smooth paste that still has a little texture.
- The paste will be quite thick at this point, so add just enough water so that it will coat the prawns. Toss the spice paste and prawns together in a bowl. You can leave to marinate overnight, covered with cling film in the fridge, if you wish.
- Heat a griddle pan until searingly hot. Meanwhile, making the dressing. Add the mint and coriander to a bowl with the lime zest (alternatively you could try using the zest of a lemon for the citrus note), then stir through the yoghurt.
- Place the prawns onto the hot griddle pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until opaque and pink in colour.
- Serve these immediately with the dressing and the reserved mint leaves. This spice paste is very versatile and can be used with chicken or fish.