Recipe: Akanksha's Chilly Lime Prawns

These buttery, garlicky Chilly Lime Prawns are great for a mid-week meal that's homemade, delicious and oh so satiating.

Set up a romantic dinner for two and serve up Chef Akanksha Saigal's seafood special with garlic bread to mop up the sauce.

A chef consultant, Akanksha, who trained at the Mumbai Institute of Hotel Management, has 'undertaken pre-opening projects for 10 diverse restaurants', like Estella, Ministry of Crab and more in Goa, Pune and other cities.

Chilly Lime Prawns

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients

• 10 medium or large prawns
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 fresh red chilly, finely chopped
• 5 gm onion, finely chopped
• 2 gm celery, finely chopped
• 2 gm basil leaves, torn
• 10 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 15 gm butter
• 15 ml or 3 tsp vegetable stock (please see the note below)
• 5 ml apple cider vinegar (available online)
• Salt to taste, around ½ tsp
• Dash black pepper powder
• Edible flowers, to garnish
• Slice neebu or lime

Method

• Wash, shell and devein the prawns.
  Keep aside.
• In a kadhai or frying pan, heat the olive oil with the chopped garlic, chopped onion, chopped celery over low heat.
  Saute until translucent.
  Add the red chilly.
  When the garlic and the chopped onion turn almost golden, add the apple cider vinegar to deglaze.
  Add the vegetable stock.
  Add the butter and the chopped basil.
  Add the prawns and season with the salt and the pepper and fry over medium heat, tossing the prawns every few minutes.
  Take off heat after 7 to 10 minutes or once the prawns are cooked.
  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the edible flowers.
  Squeeze a little lime over it and serve hot with garlic bread.

Editor's Note: Liquid broth is available in some gourmet food stores. Or substitute the vegetable broth by combining 1 vegetable soup cube or 1 vegetable broth/bouillon cube or 1 tsp vegetable broth/bouillon powder with 2 cups boiling water.
Use 15 ml or 3 tsp for the recipe. The remaining stock can be frozen for future use.

To make vegetable broth from scratch by boiling 4 to 5 cups water with 1 to 2 large roughly chopped carrots, 3 stalks roughly chopped celery with leaves, 2 medium onions chopped in chunks, 5 to 6 whole black peppercorns, 2 tsp salt, 4 tbsp chopped parsley with stems, 2 laung or cloves, 5 pods garlic, 2 tej patta or bay leaves till vegetables are tender and the water is steeped with the flavour of the vegetables and spices.
Strain and use 15 ml or 3 tsp for the recipe. The remaining stock can be preserved in the refrigerator or frozen for future use.

Chef Akanksha Saigal is a consultant chef for Tattva Bar and Cafe, at Marol, north west Mumbai.

•  REDIFF FOOD