Brazilian Prawn Stew

When I went to Rio for the Paralympics, even though I was there for almost 3 weeks, I never got to really sample the typical Brazilian cuisine. The food provided for us in the Paralympic Village was very plain and basic and just served a purpose. We were also under strict instructions on what was safe and unsafe to eat to minimise the risk of getting ill. It was a very similar approach when we went back 18 months later for the World Championships. We stayed in a hotel this time but the food provided was kept very simple for athletes. It drives me a little crazy after a couple of days because I love to have flavour in my food and get bored of bland very easily. What I did learn about Brazilian food from my time in the country was that they very much like their meat and they like to add a lot of salt.

This recipe which I found on BBC Good Food is far more what I imagined Brazilian food to be like. It is very fresh, flavoursome and spicy. Far more satisfying and enjoyable to eat, and healthy and nutritious as well.

Print Recipe

Brazilian Prawn Stew

Keyword

Coconut, Green Beans, Prawn, Spinach, Tomatoes

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 onion
• 1 chilli
• 1 clove garlic
• 150 ml light coconut milk
• 100 g green beans
• 200 g fresh tomatoes
• 1 bag frozen cooked king prawns approx 225g
• 100 g spinach
• 125 g basmati rice
• 1 small handful coriander
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 50 g peanuts roasted optional

Keyword Coconut, Green Beans, Prawn, Spinach, Tomatoes Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings people Ingredients 1 tsp coconut oil 1 onion 1 chilli 1 clove garlic 150 ml light coconut milk 100 g green beans 200 g fresh tomatoes 1 bag frozen cooked king prawns approx 225g 100 g spinach 125 g basmati rice 1 small handful coriander 1 tbsp lime juice 50 g peanuts roasted optional

Instructions

To Prepare:

1. Peel and slice the onion in to thin strips.
2. Peel and crush the garlic, thinly slice the chilli.
3. Add to a large pan with the coconut oil.
4. Measure out the coconut milk.
5. Weigh out the peanuts and if roasting scatter on a baking tray.

To Cook:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and roast the peanuts for 10 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool on the tray out the way.
2. Heat the pan over a medium heat and stir the contents occasionally.
3. Once the onion has softened after approx 5/10 minutes, pour in the coconut milk and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile remove the tops off the green beans and slice them in half. Dice the tomatoes.
5. Once the coconut milk is added to the pan, cook the rice by adding it to a pan of boiling water and leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes.
6. After 5 minutes is up of simmering the coconut milk add the beans and tomatoes to the mixture.
7. Stir and leave bubbling.
8. 3 minutes before the rice is ready, add the prawns to the coconut mixture and stir to coat.
9. Just before the rice is ready to be strained, add the spinach to the coconut mixture and again stir well.
10. Strain the rice and serve.
11. Check the prawns are hot all the way through and the spinach has wilted. Season with the lime juice.
12. Serve the coconut mixture on top of the rice and then scatter over the coriander and peanuts.

Recipe Notes

If you make this, let me know how it goes and share your photos.  I’d also love to hear how you adapt it to suit yourself.