Prawns, pricey but worth it

It's been a while since my last post. Not that I haven't been cooking (I have, relentlessly so, nearly up to 120 dinners now) more that it has become a bit routine - things are easier to find, I've discovered what will be eaten by the majority, I'm not having to think creatively about meals due to missing ingredients. Work has become busy in a different way (risk assessment, health assessment, building assessment - everything is quite, well, 'assessy'). I did my first train journey into London, Child 2 is at school 2 days a week and it looks like one of our planned weekends away might actually happen. In short, things are, ever so slightly, edging towards normal. That's not to say there is much equilibrium, as the previous week was astonishingly hard for no real reason and resulted in a lot of comfort eating (hello haribo) and a long-delayed return to convenience food - fish fingers and cardboard pizza anyone? 

So, a new delicious prawn recipe for you. Both children absolutely adore prawns (not smug, this follows years of turning their noses up) so they are, despite being pricey, a staple for at least one meal a week. I'm bored of stir fry, so went for a prawn biryani. Not a real biryani, of course, as those take hours and are a work of art, but a version that I could do after several zoom meetings whilst holding a glass of wine. 

This is from the ever-reliable Madhur Jaffrey (Curry Easy) and has refreshingly few ingredients. 

450g raw prawns

3 cloves garlic 

1 tsp ground cumin

Half tsp ground turmeric

Dash cayenne pepper

Black pepper and salt

Chop the prawns in half across and sprinkle with the garlic and spices, season well. Add 3 tbsp of oil to a heavy-based pan (I used a casserole dish) and flash fry the prawns for 2-3 minutes until opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl with 4 tsp lemon juice and 4 tbsp chopped coriander. 

Using the pan you cooked the prawns in, which will still contain lovely, spicy, garlicky oil, add 4 cardamom pods and 600ml chicken stock. Add a 450ml measure of rinsed and soaked rice (sometimes I don't bother to soak the rice, but Madhur is quite insistent in her recipes). Add seasoning, cover tightly and cook on a very low heat for 25 minutes. It didn't take that long in my case and was done after 10-15. Put the prawns and their juices over the top of the rice, cover quickly and cook for another minute. Stir gently and serve.

This was really excellent, garlicky and spicy (I may have added more cayenne than strictly necessary) and delicious. I would probably add a side of something green next time.