Vegetarian or vegetable ‘prawns’ are soya-based products which are crumbed. They are often sold in a variety of flavours, such as plain or garlic, and are usually available at most outlets that cater for the needs of the Indian community.
500 g frozen vegetable prawns
4 cups uncooked basmati or white rice
¼ tsp turmeric
1½ cups brown lentils
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
3 green chillies, chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
4 tomatoes, grated
2 tsp masala
2 tsp salt
½ cup plain yoghurt
1. Thaw the prawns and place them on kitchen paper to absorb the excess water.
2. Cook the rice partially in boiling water, about 30 minutes for white rice and 15 minutes for basmati. Add the turmeric to the rice while it is boiling. Set aside.
3. Cook the lentils in boiling water for about 30 minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside.
4. Roughly chop the mint and the coriander.
5. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion until golden brown. Remove the onion from the pan.
6. Fry the prawns lightly in batches in the same pan, then remove and set aside.
7. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and curry leaves to the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, masala and salt and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the yoghurt, lentils and prawns and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mint and coriander.
9. Spoon the rice over the top of the ingredients and spread the onion over the rice. Add ½ cup water and simmer for 20 minutes until the moisture is absorbed.
Serves 6–8