When you think of enjoying £140 Champagne, the last thing that might come to mind is tossing it in a curry with some microwaved rice on the side. Well, at Los Angeles restaurant Badmaash, that’s exactly what they’re doing with this amazing Cristal Champagne Cocktail Prawn Saffron Curry dish.
The Mahendro brothers have made a name for themselves by whipping up creative Indian dishes at their restaurant, and this curry is the pinnacle of culinary achievement in our books! Luckily, they’ve shared the recipe so you can whip up this tasty dish right at home.
Of course the original recipe calls for Cristal Champagne, but in reality any acidic dry sparkling wine will do just fine. Pair this dish with a glass of bubbly on the side and you’re in for a real treat! It’s the perfect way to *spice* up a simple weeknight dinner.
Cristal Cocktail Prawn Saffron Curry
Recipe adapted from Munchies
(Makes 4 Servings)
For the spiced microwave rice:
3 Tbsp. rapeseed oil
2-4 pieces of Ceylon cinnamon bark, broken into pieces
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. cumin
400g white microwave rice
water
30g butter
For the curry:
rapeseed oil
½ red onion, chopped
½ white onion, chopped
4 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 jalapeño chiles, diced
180ml dry sparkling wine
1 tsp. saffron
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. Indian chilli powder
2 tsp. cumin
500g prawns, cooked and peeled
salt
1 Tbsp. doublecream
1 bunch coriander, chopped
Directions:
1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over midum-high heat until hot. Add cinnamon bark, cook for 1 minute, then add bay leaves. Cook both for about 30 seconds, then add in the cumin. After an additional 30 seconds, add in the appropriate amount of water for rice (as labelled on the package) and pour entire mixture into a large, microwaveable bowl. Add in the rice, mix well, and cook in microwave as labelled on package. Once rice has slightly cooled, pick out the cinnamon bark and bay leaves. Stir in 30g of butter and set rice aside.
2. Heat additional oil in the pan over medium-heat once again. Toss in onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add ginger and garlic and continue to cook. After several minutes, once onions are soft and translucent, add the jalapeño peppers and cook for another couple of minutes.
3. Reduce the heat and add in sparkling wine. Sprinkle in saffron by crushing it between your fingers before you toss it into the pan. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes. Season with Indian chilli powder, cumin and cocktail sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add prawns and cook until heated through and the liquid in the pan has reduced by about 1/3. Add double cream. Cook for another minute before spooning over the rice. Garnish with coriander to serve.
(Thanks to the team at Badmaash for this amazing recipe!)
