coconut fish curry

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 small red chilli, shredded (deseeded if you don't like it too hot)
• 2 lemongrass stalks, split, then bruised with a rolling pin
• 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
• 1 heaped tbsp light muscovado sugar
• small bunch coriander, stems finely chopped
• 400g can coconut milk
• 450g skinless hake fillets, cut into rectangles, roughly credit card size
• 220g pack frozen raw whole prawns
• 1 lime, halved
• cooked rice, to serve

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat the oil in a wide, lidded frying pan, then soften the onion for 5 mins. Increase the heat a little, stir in the ginger, garlic, shrimp paste, chilli and lemongrass, and cook for 2 mins. Add the curry powder and sugar, and keep stirring. When the sugar starts to melt and everything starts to clump together, add the coriander stems, coconut milk and 2 tbsp water, then bring to a simmer.

• STEP 2

  Add the fish to the sauce, tuck the prawns in here and there, then squeeze over half the lime. Pop on the lid and simmer for 5 mins more or until the hake is just cooked and flaking, and the prawns are pink through. Taste for seasoning, adding a squeeze more lime to the sauce if you like. Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve with rice.