I think it’s fairly safe to say that when it comes to trying unusual curry combinations, my family are at the forefront! Growing up my mum was a huge source of inspiration and would concoct unusual curry combinations; she would cook lamb with cucumber, hutki shira (a Bengali fermented fish curry) using lettuce and even cooked a fish curry once using the inner flesh of watermelon peel, yes you read correctly, watermelon! So to tell you that in our family we love Prawns with Bamboo Shoots should really come as no surprise.

My eldest brother has always taken after my mum and an odd thirty years ago he introduced us to mushrooms at a time when many Bengali people refused to eat them. In my Sylheti dialect we call them ‘Bengor Satha’ which translated means, ‘a frog’s umbrella’, lol, I think it was this association of them being home to a frog that put off many Bengalis from eating mushrooms for a generation (I mean maybe they were just called that but we took it to mean it in a VERY literal sense). Thankfully, the second generation of Bengalis (my lot) took a different approach and it is now a very popular ingredient to cook with. Going back to my original point, my brother was never afraid of trying something new, no matter how unusual it was.

Our love for eating food that had texture was instilled in us by my eldest brother from a young age, he has always loved crunchy food ever since I can recall, hence the discovery of using bamboo shoots in a curry! I appreciate Prawns with Bamboo Shoots won’t appeal to everyone, there are many people who would just find it weird, but I’m hoping some of you will find this ingredient a lovely change in your day to day Bengali curries.

Alone bamboo shoots don’t taste of much but are widely used in the far East in many oriental dishes, especially stir fries primarily due to the texture they provide, this is also the reason why I am using them in this recipe. You can source this ingredient from most major supermarkets here in the UK, like Tesco, Sainsburys or Asda. I have used prawns leaving the shell on making sure the veins have been removed, if you don’t enjoy eating prawns with the shell on, remove them. I have reduced the amount of ground chilli powder used in this recipe as I am adding one whole scotch bonnet pepper to provide heat, if you are not able to source the scotch bonnet pepper use more chilli powder (1 tsp will be enough) and add sliced green chillies instead. This fiery dish won’t appeal to the faint-hearted, so the only question that remains is, can you take the heat???

You will need:  For Prawns with Bamboo Shoots

250g pink prawns (heads, tails and legs removed, shell can be left on, remove it if you don’t enjoy eating it like this)
1 can of bamboo shoots
3 – 4 tbsp oil
1 medium onion
1 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (add 1 tsp chilli powder if you are not adding a scotch bonnet pepper)
1 tsp mixed curry powder
2 cloves of garlic
1 scotch bonnet pepper (I wash and freeze my peppers, they keep longer and I have them to hand whenever a dish calls for them, if you don’t have this use green chillies instead)
fresh coriander for garnishing

Method:

If you have not already removed the heads, tails and legs on your prawns, you should start by doing that first and leaving the prawns soaked in cold water till you need them.

Peel and finely slice 1 medium onion. In a large frying pan add 3 – 4 tbsp of oil and heat.

Once heated add the finely sliced onion followed by 1 tsp of salt (adjust to your taste) and saute for a few minutes.

Once the onions look slightly browned and translucent add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/3 tsp chilli powder….

….and 1 tsp of mixed curry powder. Mix the spices and allow to fry uncovered for five minutes over a low heat.

Drain the bamboo shoots and add to the onions and spices, leave to fry over a low heat while you prep the garlic and scotch bonnet pepper….

….finely slice the garlic into matchsticks and chop the scotch bonnet into quarters, add to the pan….

….lastly add the prawns and mix well. The prawns and bamboo shoots don’t need very long to cook, cover the pan with a lid and cook through for 4 – 7 minutes depending on how crunchy/well done you want the bamboo shoots to be.

Garnish the dish with fresh chopped coriander just before removing from the heat.

Serve this fiery dish with plain Basmati rice and relish every mouthful! Have a glass of water or something sweet to hand if you are not accustomed to eating spicy dishes like this, just don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Bon Appetit!

Prawns with Bamboo Shoots

 

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Author: Afelia's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 250g pink prawns (heads, tails and legs removed, shell can be left on, remove it if you don't enjoy eating it like this)
• 1 can of bamboo shoots
• 3 - 4 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tsp of salt
• ¾ tsp turmeric powder
• ⅓ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (add 1 tsp chilli powder if you are not adding a scotch bonnet pepper)
• 1 tsp mixed curry powder
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (I wash and freeze my peppers, they keep longer and I have them to hand whenever a dish calls for them, if you don't have this use green chillies instead)
• fresh coriander for garnishing

Method

1. If you have not already removed the heads, tails and legs on your prawns, you should start by doing that first and leaving the prawns soaked in cold water till you need them.
2. Peel and finely slice 1 medium onion. In a large frying pan add 3 - 4 tbsp of oil and heat.
3. Once heated add the finely sliced onion followed by 1 tsp of salt (adjust to your taste) and saute for a few minutes.
4. Once the onions look slightly browned and translucent add ½ tsp of turmeric powder, ⅓ tsp chilli powder....
5. and 1 tsp of mixed curry powder. Mix the spices and allow to fry uncovered for five minutes over a low heat.
6. Drain the bamboo shoots and add to the onions and spices, leave to fry over a low heat while you prep the garlic and scotch bonnet pepper....
7. finely slice the garlic into matchsticks and chop the scotch bonnet into quarters, add to the pan....
8. lastly add the prawns and mix well. The prawns and bamboo shoots don't need very long to cook, cover the pan with a lid and cook through for 4 - 7 minutes depending on how crunchy/well done you want the bamboo shoots to be.
9. Garnish the dish with fresh chopped coriander just before removing from the heat.
10. Serve this fiery dish with plain Basmati rice and relish every mouthful! Have a glass of water or something sweet to hand if you are not accustomed to eating spicy dishes like this, just don't say I didn't warn you!

3.5.3208

3.5.3208

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