A sweet curry? Yes, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.

Have you ever tried cooking sweet potato as a curry before? I hear many of you say ‘no’, well that’s good as I want to teach you all how to cook with this. My mum has always been my biggest inspiration when it comes to cooking and this was one of many dishes I learnt from her when she was alive. She was never scared to try a combination that wasn’t very common and was always full of new ideas. Prawns are often cooked with pumpkin in Bangladeshi households, the two taste really good together and while this isn’t pumpkin, it is very similar in taste. Being so versatile, prawns can be cooked with a variety of vegetables and there are so many varieties of prawns to choose from. My favourites are king prawns and tiger prawns, the meatiness really appeals to me. I once cooked this curry and had an aunt pop by unexpectedly for dinner, she ate the prawns with sweet potato and couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was! I was just thrilled that she enjoyed it so much, so much so that she had to go out and buy some sweet potato and prawns to cook this curry.

If for any reason you are unable to eat prawns or are allergic to them follow the recipe and replace the prawns with fish. When cooking prawns remember they need very little time to cook through so try to add them in at the very end and don’t overcook them as they turn rubbery. You could replace the sweet potato with butternut squash or pumpkin if you aren’t able to source sweet potatoes, they work equally well. I hope you find a soft spot in your food cravings for this sweet curry!

Serves 4 – 6

You will need: for Prawn Sweet Potato Curry

250g prawns, veined and washed
1 large sweet potato
oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed curry powder (I used Rajah brand)
1/2 tsp chilli powder ( I used half as we will be adding scotch bonnet, use 1 tsp if you aren’t adding this)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 – 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper OR 4 – 5 green chillies
2 cloves of garlic

Method:

Make sure your prawns are peeled, washed and ready before starting.
Start by finely slicing 1 onion. Heat some oil in a pan and add your sliced onions once hot.

Add 1 tsp of salt, you can adjust if necessary later. Cover and allow the onions to saute over a low flame for 5 minutes.

Peel and cube your sweet potato while you wait for the onions to soften, leave them in cold water till its time to use them. Once your onions look somewhat browned and transparent (bottom right photo) you’re ready to add spices.

Add 1 tsp mixed curry powder, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and 1 tsp coriander powder.

Mix the spices and fry uncovered for a couple of minutes.

Rinse and add the cubed sweet potatoes, mix the potatoes with the onion and spices. Cover and leave to cook for about 5 – 8 minutes over a low – medium flame.

Meanwhile prepare your scotch bonnet pepper by cutting into large pieces or finely slicing, whichever you prefer, I used only one quarter (as indicated in the photo) you may use more if you want. Peel and crush 2 garlic cloves.

Add the crushed garlic to the pan now along with the SCOTCH BONNET, I forgot to take a photo when adding this. If you’re using green chillies add them later when you add the prawns. If your onions seem to be drying out add some water to the pan like I did.

Once the potatoes appear cooked add the prawns, if they need longer then cook them properly BEFORE adding the prawns. Add the prawns and mix with the other ingredients (top right photo), cover and cook for 3 – 4 minutes over a medium flame. If you’re using green chillies add them now too. I didn’t add any extra water to this curry as I added a little before, instead I allowed the juices from the prawns to flow out. Sometimes I like the curry to be quite dry like on this occasion, if you want more gravy to your curry feel free to add some water once the prawns are cooked and bring to boil.

Lastly, garnish with chopped coriander and promptly remove from the heat.

Enjoy your prawn and sweet potato curry with plain basmati rice and some lemon/lime wedges.

Bon Appétit!!

If you like the recipe please share with friends and family, also follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook.