Oven Baked Sri Lankan-Style King Prawn Curry

Before you begin...

This recipe takes around 5-10 min to prep, so get your casserole dish and all your ingredients ready, then wash your fruit and veg

Note: Make sure your dish is oven-proof and safe to use on the hob. Don't have one? Start cooking in a large, wide-based pan then transfer to an oven-proof dish

Now, let's get started!

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Boil a kettle

Heat a large, wide-based, hob-safe oven-proof casserole dish with a matching lid with a generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat

Peel and roughly chop your shallot[s]

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Chop your creamed coconut roughly (if required!)

Slice your green chilli[es] finely

Once hot, add the chopped shallot and chopped creamed coconut to the dish with half your sliced green chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!)

Add your curry powder, tamarind paste, ground turmeric, vegetable stock mix, chopped garlic and chopped tomatoes with 250ml [325ml] [400ml] boiled water

Put the dish in the oven and cook, uncovered, for an initial 25 min or until thickened – this is your curry sauce

Add your white long grain rice to an oven-proof dish with 300ml [390ml] [600ml] boiled water, making sure all the rice is submerged

Cover very tightly with tin foil and put the dish in the oven for 25-30 min or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked

Wash your spinach, then pat it dry with kitchen paper

Use this time to clear up, set the table, have a cup of tea or simply chill!

Once the curry sauce has thickened, remove the dish from the oven

Drain your king prawns and add them to the dish with the spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper

Give everything a good mix up, cover with a lid and return the dish to the oven for 4-5 min or until the prawns are cooked through – this is your oven-baked Sri Lankan-style king prawn curry