This week’s tropical trio is Seafood and Plantain Curry, Coconut Rice with Peanut Flavor, and finally Mango and Lime Sponge Cake
As summer vacation approaches, it’s time to start dreaming about sunsets, tropical islands, and fruit.If this dream is a reality for any of you, I’m having fun for you.For the rest of us, however, this is the ideal opportunity to take the dial to the tropics no matter where you are.That’s where coconut comes in, along with other sweet fruits like kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, fresh herbs, fresh fish, and mango, which all work well together.It’s a match made in heaven, whether in the tropics or otherwise.
Inspired by Tapado, a Guatemalan seafood soup featuring seafood, coconut milk, plantain and tapioca.Here, I just used plantains and added kaffir lime leaves for a slight twist.To make it a complete meal, serve it with rice or grilled meat.
40 ml vegetable oil 8 in-shell tiger prawns, peeled and cored, heads and shells reserved 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 20 g fresh ginger, peeled and grated ½ scotch, chopped, seeds and all ( You can also remove if you like less heat) 40g bunch of fresh coriander, 20g stems, chopped, leaves reserved for sambal 3 lime leaves 2 red peppers, stems removed, pitted, flesh cut into 2cm Small pieces of 1 onion, peeled and chopped (180g) 2 plantains (600g), peeled and diced diagonally into ½ cm thick slices (350g) fine sea salt ½ tsp chilli 2 tbsp tomato paste 400 ml full-fat coconut milk 450 g cod skin or other fleshy white fish, cut into 2½ cm thick pieces
Coconut sambal paste 150g fresh coconut 2 parts lime leaves 2 parts lime – 1 chopped, take 2 teaspoons, juice, take 1 tablespoon, the other cut into 4 wedges and serve
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.Once hot, add the reserved shrimp shells and heads and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, until deep pink.Pour in 500ml of water, bring to a boil, then turn to medium-low heat and cook for 20 minutes.Crush the heads and shells with a potato masher to extract as much flavor as possible, then pour the mixture into a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
Dry the pan and heat it over medium-high heat.Add a tablespoon of oil, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander stems and kaffir lime leaves, stirring regularly, sauté for three minutes, until fragrant and golden.Add the peppers, onion, plantains, another tablespoon of oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stirring occasionally, and cook for 15 minutes, until translucent.Add half of the chili powder and all the tomato paste, then sauté for five minutes, stirring continuously to avoid sticking.
Pour the shrimp broth through a sieve directly into the pot (discard the solids), add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sambal paste.Put all ingredients in a food processor with a teaspoon of lime juice and blend for a minute, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
In a medium bowl, sprinkle cod with a quarter teaspoon of salt and set aside.In a second bowl, combine shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
When the sauce is ready, put the pan on high heat.Grill the shrimp for two minutes per side, until they are deep pink and starting to char.While they are roasting, put the cod in the sauce, cover and cook for four minutes.
Once cooked, add the grilled shrimp and the remaining teaspoon of lime juice to the curry pot and stir gently to combine.Divide the mixture among bowls, top each dish with a tablespoon of sambal paste, and serve with the rest and lime wedges.
This is a great side dish to pair with your protein of choice.Peanut Shortbread is super special and more than you need.Store excess in an airtight jar for sprinkling on salads and fruit.If you only have a little coconut milk left in the can, after using as the recipe calls for, a neat trick is to freeze the rest in a compartment or two of ice cube trays – meaning it won’t go Waste, as long as you need a little in the future, be ready.
45g virgin coconut oil, plus 1 tsp extra 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped (360g) 3 kaffir lime leaves fine sea salt 30g desiccated coconut 200g white basmati rice, washed until clear, then drained 300ml dried whole coconut milk 200g frozen sweet corn, thawed 250g runner beans, chopped 1.5 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp olive oil 20 g coriander leaves 10 g mint leaves, roughly chopped
Ingredients 10 grams virgin coconut oil 2 teaspoons chili flakes 60 grams salted peanuts 40 grams desiccated coconut 40 grams fried onions (store bought) 1 teaspoon soft light brown sugar
Place coconut oil, onion, lime leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large skillet with a lid.Place the skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and light in color.Add the desiccated coconut and cook for another three to five minutes, until lightly browned, then add the rice.Pour in the coconut milk and 200ml of water, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.Turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes.When ready, open the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, make the toppings.Melt coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.Add the chili flakes, peanuts, and coconut, stirring frequently, and cook for four to six minutes, until toasted and fragrant.Turn off the heat, add the fried onions, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir to combine, and pour out on a tray to cool.Once cool, transfer to a food processor and pulse three to five times until peanuts are roughly broken, then pour into a bowl and set aside.
Wipe the frying pan clean and put it on high heat.Once the pan is smoking, add the sweet corn, stir, and cook for three to five minutes, until the kernels are popped and slightly charred.Pour into a bowl and put the pot back on the heat.Drizzle the beans with the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil and pour into the pan.Flatten them with tongs or a smaller pan and sear for about two minutes on one side.Transfer to a plate and, after cooling slightly, slice the beans diagonally into 1.5 cm thick slices.Add these to a sweet corn bowl, followed by lime juice, olive oil, herbs, and a quarter teaspoon of salt.
Arrange the rice and charred vegetable mixture alternately on a plate, sprinkle with one-third of the ingredients, and serve the rest in a bowl on the side.
These funky-looking cakes are one of Australia’s biggest pastry exports.They’re traditionally made with strawberries and chocolate, but this version is given a tropical twist.Amchur powder can be found in Asian grocery stores, but these cakes are still great without it.
Labnei Filling 175 Crabney (store bought), or 175 g thick Greek yogurt 1½ tablespoons powdered sugar
260g sponge 260g room temperature unsalted butter 5 eggs 340g self-raising flour Copra, to coat
Mango puree 340g canned mango puree (Alphonso, optional) 210g condensed coconut milk 55ml vegetable oil 2½ tbsp amchur powder (aka mango powder) – optional
Heat oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. First, make the sponge.Grease a square 20cm cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for two minutes, until pale and fluffy.Turn speed to medium and stir in eggs one at a time (don’t worry about mixture curdling).Turn the speed to low and add the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, then pour in the milk to make a batter.Transfer to a lined jar and spread evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown and kebabs come out clean, then remove and let rest on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.Invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.
While the sponge bakes, make the coating.Put a large frying pan on medium heat, add half of the coconut, then toast, stirring often, for seven minutes, until golden brown.Pour into a large bowl, add remaining untoasted coconut and 1/2 teaspoon lime zest and set aside.
For the sauce, whisk the pureed mango, condensed milk, oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons of amchur (if using), and lime juice in a large bowl until well combined.
For filling, whisk labneh and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.Use a sharp knife to peel off the rind and pith of the remaining whole limes, cut between the films to release the sections, and roughly chop them.Weigh out 20 grams of chopped lime wedges (reserve the rest for a later use) and stir into a labneh bowl.
Trim the top and bottom crusts of the cooled cake to remove the top “bump” and flatten it, then cut in half horizontally to create two equal layers.Spread the filling on the inside of the cake and sandwich the two pieces together.Cut the crust off the sides, tidy up, and cut into 20 4cm x 5cm squares.
Working one at a time, carefully dip each side of each square cake into the mango sauce so that it is covered on all sides.Dip into dry coconut mixture, toss gently to coat, then place on a plate and repeat with remaining cake, sauce, and coconut.
Post time: Jul-03-2022