Medium or Jumbo prawns – 500 gms, peeled & deveined, tails intact
Garlic – 8 to 10 cloves, grated
Thai Massaman curry paste – 4 tbsp
Coconut milk – 200 gms
Fish sauce – 3 tbsp
Rice wine vinegar – 1 tbsp
Thai fresh basil leaves – 1 cup, tightly packed
Orange pumpkin – 200 gms, cut into 1-inch cubes
Brown sugar – 2 tbsp
Canola/vegetable oil – 6 tbsp
Toasted peanuts – a handful to garnish (optional)
Lemon – 1 or more as per taste
Salt – if required
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok and once the oil is hot, add the prawns & half of the grated garlic and sauté them on medium for 3 minutes. Then flip them over and sauté the other side for couple of minutes more until the prawns turn opaque. Take them out on a plate and set aside.
Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the same wok and let it warm up. Then add the cubed pumpkins and give a good stir. Sprinkle pinch of salt, mix, cover & let the pumpkins cook on low heat until they are little soft and nicely browned. Take them out in a bowl and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in same wok and tip in the remaining grated garlic. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
Then add the Thai massaman curry paste. Sautee the curry paste on medium heat until oil releases. Now add couple of tablespoons of coconut milk and continue sautéing until the coconut milk is absorbed completely.
Now add all the remaining coconut milk and stir slowly yet thoroughly so that the curry paste is evenly dissolved in the liquid.
Bring the coconut milk to a light simmer keeping the heat on low. Now add fish sauce, brown sugar & vinegar and mix everything well by stirring slowly.
Now do a taste test to check if additional salt is required. The readymade curry paste already has quite a bit of salt in it plus the fish sauce is also salty; so add sparingly only if needed.
You may also adjust the sweetness, saltiness and tartness as per your liking at this stage by adding more of sugar, fish sauce and vinegar respectively. Once you are satisfied with the final taste of the curry, proceed to next step.
Now add the sautéed prawns and pumpkin cubes to the wok and give a good mix. If you feel the gravy is too thick, add about half a cup of water and bring the curry to a boil.
Now add the fresh Thai basil leaves and stir them through the curry. You won’t need to chop the leaves; they will wilt down almost immediately.
Switch off the flame and add juice of half a lemon. Garnish with toasted & chopped peanuts, if using.
Thai prawn massaman curry is ready! Serve it with jasmine rice with more lemon wedges and enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2021/03/thai-prawn-massaman-curry-easy-recipe/