Spicy prawn and tomato stew recipe
This dish embodies the fiery, garlicky and dill-infused cooking of the Gaza Strip. Traditionally baked in a clay pot, the recipe has been adapted for the hob. As varieties of chilli can differ in strength, add them in stages until the sauce has the right level of heat for you.
Recipe from Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan. Published by Bloomsbury on 12 July 2018, RRP £26.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 400 g can of plum tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar (any type), or to taste
- 0.8 tsp ground cumin
- 0.2 tsp ground allspice
- 0.5 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
- 2 green chillies, finely chopped, or to taste
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 400 g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 splash extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp light olive oil
Details
- Cuisine: Palestinian
- Recipe Type: Stew
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 35 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Heat the light olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for about 10 minutes, until softened.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar, spices and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, with 200ml (6.7 fl oz) of just-boiled water.
- Smash the garlic, dill, chillies and ½ teaspoon salt together in a mortar and pestle for a few minutes. (This releases the oils from the chillies and herbs and makes them more fragrant.) Add the mixture to the tomato pan, cover and simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat.
- Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds by placing them in a dry pan and stirring over a medium heat for a few minutes until they turn golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- When the sauce is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning (you may want to add a pinch more sugar or a bit more chilli). Finally, add the prawns – making sure they are submerged and turning them, if necessary – cooking for about 2 minutes, or until they have just turned pink and are cooked through.
- To serve, drizzle with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the sesame seeds and chopped parsley.
This recipe is from Zaitoun: Recipes and Stories from the Palestinian Kitchen by Yasmin Khan. Published by Bloomsbury on 12 July 2018, RRP £26. Photography by Matt Russell.
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