Crispy Coconut Prawns & Pineapple Fried Rice
Serves 2
Crispy, coconut prawns with chilli & lime, served on pineapple & egg fried rice — a zingy, tropical dish that’s bursting with flavour and packed with protein from prawns and egg, plus plenty of fibre from the fruit and veg.
Tips:
Prawns: Make sure you’re using fresh, raw prawns (or defrosted if frozen), so you can easily cut a slit down the back (removing the intestinal track if needed) allowing the prawns to splay out when cooking making them feel much juicier and cook more evenly.
Oil: Use coconut oil for the fried rice if you have it, otherwise any neutral oil will be fine (vegetable, sunflower, canola etc - NOT olive oil). Stick to neutral oil for frying the prawns, too.
Skewers: Use small skewers so they fit nicely in your frying pan without resting on the outside edge. If you can’t find them small enough, thread the prawns on first then trim them to size afterwards
Rice: Day-old rice is always best for fried rice dishes as the rice dries out slightly and therefore crisps up more effectively. Failing that, you can use these handy pouches of cooked rice, but don’t microwave it first - use it straight from the packet to ensure you don’t get any excess moisture in there
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
large frying pan or wok
another frying pan
4 skewers
kitchen roll
pastry brush
Ingredients.
4 spring onions
1 large carrot
1 red chilli
80g peas, fresh or frozen
250-300g pineapple, tinned or fresh
A few tbsp coconut/veg oil
2 sachets of cooked rice, or 500g leftover cooked rice (a day old)
2 eggs
3 tbsp soy sauce, plus more to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
1 tbsp desiccated coconut, to serve
Prawns:
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp breadcrumbs, panko/fine
Zest of a whole lime lime
1 tsp chilli flakes
Pinch of salt
4 short wooden skewers
Veg/sunflower oil, for frying
Method.
Prepare the prawn skewers: Slice through the backs of the prawns about 1mm deep, removing the intestinal tract if needed, and thread both ends of each prawn onto the skewers - 3 on each - and lay onto kitchen roll to dry
Mix the prawn coating (coconut, breadcrumbs, lime zest, chilli & salt) onto a large plate
Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat well
Brush a prawn skewers with beaten egg and press it into the coconut crumb to coat. Repeat with all skewers and set aside. Reserve the remaining egg
Prepare the vegetables: Finely chop the carrot and red chilli. Drain the pineapple and cut bigger pieces in half. Slice the spring onions and separate the white & green ends
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok/pan and add the carrot, white spring onion, peas & chilli. Fry for 3-5mins until softened
Meanwhile, break up the rice grains through the packet, then turn the heat up on the wok and add the rice
Fry the rice for around 5 mins, adding more oil if needed, then add the pineapple chunks and stir through
Push the rice to one side of the pan and pour in the beaten egg. Allow them to set for a minute before breaking into chunks and mixing in with the rice
Stir through the green ends of the spring onions, season with soy sauce, taste, adjust and set aside
Heat a dry frying pan to a medium high heat and add 1 tbsp desiccated coconut. Fry for 2 mins until golden then set aside
Add a few tbsp of oil to the pan and set it back on a high heat
Add the prawn skewers to the hot oil and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until they’re golden brown and the prawns are cooked through
Serve the prawns over the rice with a squeeze of lime, some toasted coconut and extra soy sauce (to taste)
