Courgette season is in full swing and the allotment is packed with them! If you’re new to growing your own, courgettes are a pretty great place to start. The seeds germinate easily and as long as they’re well watered, they’re problem free. We seem to be churning out delicious courgettes almost quicker than my toddler and I can pick them… almost!
This light and summery curry really makes the most of these tasty veggies. Pairing them up with lots of shallots, garlic and ginger is such a great idea, but my favourite little element is the addition of preserved lemons and basil, so zingy and fragrant. It’s more what you might call a ‘dry’ curry as there’s not really a sauce as such, but the end result is anything but dry, its unctuous, silky and so moreish! The king prawns seal the deal for the perfect summer curry. It’s light, low in carbs yet really satisfying at the same time. You could serve it with cauliflower rice, but I thought it was perfect on its own. Add some sunshine and a nice crisp beer and life is good.
Full credit goes to Rick Stein for this one, his awesome book ‘India’ is just full to the brim of inspiration and beautiful photography too. If you’ve not got a copy see if you can pick one up, as there are tons more delectable recipes in it. Cheers Rick!
Serves 2
Ingredients
30ml olive oil
5 banana shallots
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
20g ginger, finely chopped
300g Courgettes, thinly sliced (1) - flowers sliced & reserved
250g king prawns (responsibly sourced)
30g pickled/preserved lemons, thinly sliced (2)
1/2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp chilli powder (as hot or mild as you prefer)
1/2 tsp garam masala
Small handful each of fresh coriander, curry and basil leaves
Method
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Sweat shallots, garlic & ginger for 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add courgettes, prawns & lemon. Fry for 2 minutes. Add thyme, rosemary, chilli & garam masala, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly. Once prawns are pink and cooked through, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir through leaves and reserved flowers then serve.
Useful Tips
(1) Pick them when they’re about finger sized and they’ll taste wonderful.
(2) I tend to just use the skin of the lemons as opposed to the whole fruit
