This curry is rich and fragrant but still light, good for dipping banh mi or spooning over noodles. The prawns stay firm, split along the back so the sauce reaches the meat, with big pieces of bell pepper and onion for sweetness.
The tricky moment is the prawns, since a long cook shrinks and dries them. The prawns are stir fried only until the shells turn red before the oat milk goes in. The bell pepper and onion come last, and the pot leaves the heat as soon as it returns to a boil so they stay crisp.
This batch weighs about 2.3kg, at roughly 115 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 500g prawns and trim the legs, eyes, antennae and sharp tail. Split each one along the back up to the head and pull out the vein.
Cut the green bell pepper and onion into large wedges, then halve them. Bruise the lemongrass stalk and cut it into lengths, keeping 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass aside. Finely chop the red chili, shallot and garlic.
Marinate the prawns with half of the shallot and garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a little ground pepper for 10 minutes.
Heat a pot with 2 tablespoons cooking oil and fry the shallot, garlic, chili, minced lemongrass and lemongrass lengths until fragrant.
Add the marinated prawns and stir fry until the shells turn red.
Pour in 460ml oat milk and 1 packet of curry powder and cook together.
Once it boils, season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon seasoning powder, add 230ml coconut milk, bring back to a boil and adjust the seasoning.
Add the bell pepper and onion, return to a boil and skim. Serve with 500g fresh rice vermicelli, hot rice or 2 baguettes for dipping.
Tips
Splitting the back of the prawn removes the vein and lets the sauce reach the meat.
Oat milk is gently sweet and cereal scented, so medium heat and no hard boil keep the curry smooth.
Coconut milk goes in last and only comes to a gentle simmer, since a hard boil splits it.
With fresh coconut pressed at home, the 460ml of oat milk can be swapped for second press coconut milk.
A moment of frying the curry powder with the lemongrass and garlic wakes it up before the liquid goes in.
Large pieces of bell pepper and onion added at the end keep their crunch and bright color.
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