Prawn Masala Curry with Brown Rice

Most Indian curry recipes call for gallons of butter, needless to say not this doesn't, yet still maintains the base flavours! This delicious blend of onion, garlic and spices can be as hot or mild as you like.

The recipe asks for onions to be liquidised to a pulp. The easiest way to do this is with a hand blender or food processor. If you don't have this equipment, simply grating them would also work.

The following recipe makes makes two portions.

Ingredients

For the rice

• 120g brown rice

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• ½ teaspoon salt (Or better still low sodium salt)

• 2 pints of boiling water

Ingredients

For the curry

• 2 teaspoons of curry powder

• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon of ground tumeric

• 1 teaspoon of chili flakes (a little less if you like it milder)

• 2 sweeteners

• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

• 15g/1 teaspoon of low fat butter spread

• 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh garlic. Peeled and finely chopped or blitzed with a hand blender

• 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh ginger. Washed and finely chopped or blitzed with a hand blender

• 3 medium onions. (Red or white). Peeled, quartered then blitzed to a pulp
• 100g mushrooms. Washed/wiped and quartered

• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes. Blitzed to a pulp in with a hand blender

• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 200ml of boiling water
• 75g peas. Fresh or frozen would both work

• 2 x 300g packs of cooked prawns. Fresh or frozen (thoroughly defrosted)
• small bunch of coriander. Washed and finely chopped

Method

1. Add 2 pints of boiling water to a large sauce pan and bring back to the boil.
2. When the water is bubbling, add the stock cube and salt and stir to make sure it's fully dissolved.
3. Add the rice and stir to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Bring the pot back to the boil again. Then reduce the heat to medium. Loosely cover the pot with a lid. Let it bubble away for 40 minutes.
4. Mix the spices,  sweeteners and stock cube with a little cold water and stir to form a paste. Leave to one side.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large pot over a medium to high heat and add the butter. When it's bubbling add the garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds to a minute.
6. Next add the chopped ginger and continue to stir fry for a further 30 seconds to a minute.
7. Then, add the spice mixture and stir enjoying the aroma!
8. Next, add the pulped onion and stir fry for approximately 10 minutes. Stirring every now and then to stop it catching.
9. Next, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste and stir well.
10. Add the boiling water to bring the sauce to a soup like consistency.
11. Increase the heat and bring the contents of the pot to the boil. Once it's boiled for a minute or so, reduce the heat to medium, loosely cover with a plate or lid and let the sauce simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every now and then to ensure it's not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more boiling water if the sauce is looking a little dry. 
12. When 30 minutes has passed, add the peas to the sauce and stir.
13. When the rice is ready, drain it into a colander and shake to get rid of any residual water. 
14. Add the prawns to the tomato sauce and stir. Take the pan off the heat. The prawns only need to heat through for a minute or two, so add them at the last minute.
15. Finally, divide the rice between two warmed bowls or plates and pour the sauce over. Serve garnished with the chopped coriander.