Coconut tiger prawns

Name: Coconut tiger prawns
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 175g freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut, soaked in water, plus extra for sprinkling; 2 cloves garlic; finely grated to make 1 tbsp ginger; 3 green chillies; a small bunch mint; 100g unsalted butter; 3 tbsp za’atar (I used Zaytoun), plus extra to serve; 2 tbsp gram flour; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 16 large tiger prawns, unpeeled but heads and legs removed; olive oil, for drizzling; 400g quinoa; 400g tin chickpeas, drained; ½ red onion, finely chopped; a small bunch dill, chopped; 3 tsp olive oil; ½ tsp toasted sesame oil; finely grated to make 1½ tsp ginger; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 2 limes, zested and juiced; 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

Preparation and cooking time
- Total time1 hr and 20 mins
Easy
Serves 4

Ingredients

175g freshly grated coconut or desiccated coconut, soaked in water, plus extra for sprinkling
2 cloves garlic
finely grated to make 1 tbsp ginger
3 green chillies
a small bunch mint
100g unsalted butter
3 tbsp za’atar (I used Zaytoun), plus extra to serve
2 tbsp gram flour
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp caster sugar
16 large tiger prawns, unpeeled but heads and legs removed
olive oil, for drizzling

HERBY QUINOA

400g quinoa
400g tin chickpeas, drained
½ red onion, finely chopped
a small bunch dill, chopped

DRESSING

3 tsp olive oil
½ tsp toasted sesame oil
finely grated to make 1½ tsp ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

Method

STEP 1
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Squeeze the soaked coconut to release as much liquid as possible, then toast in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until just starting to turn golden. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
STEP 2
Put the garlic, ginger and chillies into a blender with a little water and blitz to a paste. Tip into a bowl and set aside. Blitz the mint with a little water to make a bright green paste, then tip this into another bowl and set aside.
STEP 3
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the chilli-ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the za’atar, gram flour, lemon zest and juice, sugar, toasted coconut and 2 tsp of fine sea salt, then add the mint paste and cook for another minute until the mixture is thick and fragrant.
STEP 4
Lay the prawns out on a chopping board and make a cut along the back of each from head to tail using a sharp knife. The cuts should be deep enough to allow the prawns to be filled without cutting all the way through. Devein the prawns with the tip of a knife, then open out the two sides of the prawns using your thumb. Stuff each one generously with the coconut stuffing. Press the stuffing down using your thumbs, then transfer the stuffed prawns to a baking sheet.
STEP 5
Rinse the quinoa under cold running water, then cook in a pan of boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until the grains are tender. Drain and tip into a bowl along with the chickpeas, red onion and most of the dill.
STEP 6
Drizzle the stuffed prawns with some olive oil and scatter with a little more grated or desiccated coconut. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the prawns have turned pink and the stuffing is starting to char at the edges.
STEP 7
To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, green chillies, lime zest and juice, sugar and 1 tsp of fine sea salt, until the sugar has dissolved. Drizzle the dressing over the quinoa and toss well. Top the quinoa with the remaining dill and coconut. Just before serving, scatter the prawns with a little more coconut and za’atar, then serve with the quinoa.