Prawn Curry with Coconut and Lemongrass

I love spicy food, and I can always be won over by a good curry, either Thai or Indian. I've never been to either countries, but there is plenty restaurants of both cuisines all over the world. Not so for the Vietnamese cuisine, and I actually do not know much about their culinary specialties. However, the other day I came across a Vietnamese curry recipe on Food Network which caught my eye. It combined the best of all curry worlds: coconut milk from the Thai cuisine, curry powder from the Indian cuisine. The extra note that makes this curry so special and Vietnamese is lemongrass.
I haven't really been cooking much with lemongrass before. I admit, I really missed out on something very good! I first cooked the original recipe with chicken. I made a few slight changes with the ingredients, e.g. using light coconut milk. I find it sufficient as it contains as much flavor, but doesn't leave you feel as stuffed after the meal. We also prefer the dish made with prawns. Altogether I just love this dish because it combines many of my favorite and generously healthy foods. I have been cooking it a few times for guests, and it has always been a great success.

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PRAWN CURRY WITH COCONUT AND LEMONGRASS

(Print Recipe)

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 stalks lemongrass, pale ends finely chopped

1 pound king size prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

2 red hot chillis, minced (optional)

2 tablespoons curry powder

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

400ml (1 can) unsweetened coconut milk (light is fine)

Serves 4

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In a large pan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and lemongrass and cook until onions are turning golden, about 5-7 minutes. Stir frequently. Stir in ginger, pepper and chillis (if using). Add the prawns and cook until they turn orange/white, about 10 minutes.
Now stir in curry powder, soy sauce, fish sauce and coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pan with a lid and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove lid and simmer until sauce has thickened a little.
Serve hot over brown rice.