April’s Recipe: Prawns with Herb Sauce and Coconut Cream

David Thompson’s culinary talents are world renown and here’s a terrific example of his creative genius at work:

Prawns with Herb Sauce and Coconut Cream (serves 10)

INGREDIENTS

Herb Sauce

1½ cups palm sugar
1 cup lime juice
1½ cups mandarin juice
A nice pinch of galangal powder
A delicate pinch of mandarin powder
A large pinch toasted chilli powder
2 tablespoons deep-fried garlic
2 – 4 tablespoons fish sauce

Herbs for Prawns

1 cup sliced peeled Thai garlic
1 cup sliced red shallots
½ cup shredded wild ginger
1 cup shredded young ginger
1 cup shredded green mango
1 cup pineapple, sliced
½ cup shredded star fruit sliced
1 cup chopped sour leaves
1 cup Asian (Thai) basil leaves
2 tablespoons mandarin zest

40 cleaned prawns, blanched – more depending on their size

To finish:

Coconut Cream

2 cups coconut cream
Coarsely dried prawns

PREPARATION:

• Combine all the ingredients for the herb sauce and stir until the sugars have dissolved.
• Prepare all the herbs and blanch the cleaned prawns.
• Combine all then mix in the coconut cream.
• Serve sprinkled with the dried prawns.