This creamy Prawn Coconut Curry is perfect for people that don't like spicy food and it's ready in under 15 minutes too. Plenty of flavour from the herbs and spices, but the coconut milk in this tomato based curry keeps it nice and mild. Fresh and chunky King Prawns, tomatoes fresh from the garden and some spinach for some added greens - Delicious!
Indian food has a reputation for being unhealthy, but it really doesn't have to be (just most UK takeaways seem to be) and this Goan inspired curry is bursting with goodness. Not only does it have plenty of protein from the prawns, and lots of vitamins from the greens, but it is only 280 calories too.
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Ingredients needed
- Prawns - We used cooked king prawns. If you are using raw prawns, then cooking times will vary.
- Tomatoes - Fresh is always best. You can't beat really ripe and juicy tomatoes, not hard and tasteless ones. We added tomato puree to thicken and intensify the flavours.
- Coconut Milk - This makes the sauce nice and creamy. You can use full fat for a fuller flavour, but this will change the nutritional values.
- Garlic and ginger - The base of any curry sauce. Save time by using ready mixed in a jar.
- Garam masala - This is a great go-to spice blend, but any curry blend will work, depending on your taste.
- Chilli powder - Adjust the amount depending on how hot you like your curries.
- Onion - You could use shallots for a sweeter taste.
- Spinach - Adds a big green boost to the curry.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step by step
One: Put the garlic, ginger, salt and chilli powder in to a pestle and mortar and grind to a paste. Add half the garam masala and mix well.
Two: Add the oil to a large pan and add the onion. Gently cook for 3 minutes.
Three: Add the spice paste, tomato puree, coconut milk and rest of the garam masala to the onion. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Four: Add the tomatoes, prawns and spinach and stir well. Cook for a further 5 minutes and serve with rice.
Is frozen fish better than fresh?
We are all about fresh food, but did you know that fish and seafood frozen at sea is caught at its peak of quality and air-blast-frozen within 4 hours? It’s a common misconception that fresh fish and seafood is better than frozen when in some cases fresh fish can be around for days before it even reaches your supplier.
Which is why we stick to frozen now to ensure it is super fresh. Plus, it's handy having it in the freezer and you can cook from frozen most of the time too.
Homemade curry paste
This recipe uses a really simple homemade curry paste, so you don't need to spend money on buying a ready made paste that has loads of preservatives in it. It literally takes minutes to make, and you can even make extra and keep in the fridge or freezer until you need to use it again.
The smell of garlic and ginger being smashed together in a pestle and mortar is one of my favourite smells. We have saved ourselves a little bit of time by using a garam masala spice blend, but that's really the only short cut.
Variations
We are all about the coconut recipes at the moment, especially when it comes to curry. It makes them nice and creamy, adds a lot of flavour and cools it down too which is perfect for people that don't like a spicy curry.
If you are not a fan of coconut, then you could always swap it out for some creme fraiche instead.
We are always a fan of finding ways to add more greens to our meals and spinach in curries is one of the easiest ways. You just throw a handful in towards the end of the recipe and not only does it add some extra vitamins, but colour too.
If you don't like or have any spinach, then try some kale or Swiss chard instead. You could even leave it out and add some different vegetables if you prefer.
FAQs
This curry would freeze well, providing you had used fresh prawns, however it only takes 15 minutes too cook, so it is best to leave this one for a time when you can cook from fresh. One of the best things about this curry is how light and fresh it is, so try to eat it as soon as you make it.
If you don't want to make this prawn curry with coconut milk, then you can make this without it by substituting it for creme fraiche. Other substitutions you can make are adding kale instead of spinach and using chunks of cod instead of prawns.
More curry recipes
If you’ve tried this prawn curry recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Prawn, Tomato and Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 30 g (1 oz) Fresh ginger - chopped
- 2 Garlic clove - chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Chilli powder
- 0.5 tablespoon Garam masala - for the paste
- 0.5 tablespoon Garam masala - for the curry
- 1 Onion - finely chopped
- 200 ml (0.75 cups) Light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 2 Tomatoes - chopped
- 200 g (7 oz) Frozen king prawns - defrosted
- 80 g (2.5 cups) Spinach
Instructions
- Put 2 Garlic clove, 30 g Fresh ginger, 1 pinch Sea salt and 1 teaspoon Chilli powder into a pestle and mortar and grind to a paste. Add 0.5 tablespoon Garam masala and mix well.
- Add 1 tablespoon Olive oil to a large pan and add 1 Onion. Gently cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the spice paste, 2 tablespoon Tomato puree, 200 ml Light coconut milk and 0.5 tablespoon Garam masala to the onion. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add 2 Tomatoes, 200 g Frozen king prawns and 80 g Spinach and stir well. Cook for a further 5 minutes and serve with rice.
Notes
- If you don't like coconut then you could use creme fraiche instead.
- Don't have any spinach? Other greens like kale or Swiss chard would work, but you would need to cook them a little longer.
- If you aren't a fan of prawns, then try something like chunks of cod instead.
Gerard Morgan
Made this yesterday. Delicious! So tasty with the spices & coconut milk. I actually did egg fried rice separately. Really was a lovely meal.
Thanks for this. Really enjoying your website & looking forward to more tasty recipes.
Lifestyle & happiness buttons very motivational. Looking forward to more inspiration from you two.
Great resource & totally down to earth, no mumbo jumbo or crazy impractical ideas.
Regards,
Gerard.
Dannii
Thanks for the lovely comment. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites
Give me all the coconut curry!! I love it! I actually just had a curry shrimp meal today, but this one is more my style - will definitely be trying soon!
Ginny
Curry is one of my favorite things. I love the ginger you added to the recipe and also the chucky tomatoes. Yum!
Tara
Love having frozen fish handy. So easy for last minute dinners! This coconut curry sounds absolutely delicious. Love all the flavors!