Lara Lee’s sambal prawns with coconut and cashews recipe

“In this Indonesian-inspired recipe, you need only a handful of kitchen staples to create a spectacular dish bursting with warmth and salty sweetness,” says Lara Lee.

“Chillies and garlic form the sambal base, fried in oil until the chilli begins to caramelise and wrinkle. Taking a cue from the Indonesian vegetable dish sambal goreng buncis udang (fried sambal with beans and prawns), the green beans come to life, blistering in the pan and bathing in the rich, intensely flavoured sauce.”

Sambal prawns with coconut and cashews

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

25g desiccated coconut
Flavourless cooking oil (such as sunflower or grapeseed) or coconut oil
20 medium raw prawns, peeled, tails on, defrosted if frozen
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, or 2tsp garlic paste
4 long red chillies, deseeded and finely diced
200g green beans, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths diagonally
1tbsp kecap manis
½tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
Large pinch of fine sea salt
60g roasted salted cashews

Method:

1. Toast the coconut in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat for about two minutes, shaking the pan frequently, until golden. Transfer the coconut to a plate.

2. Wipe out the pan and heat one tablespoon of oil. Add the prawns in a single layer and cook for one to two minutes each side, or until they are just cooked through. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

3. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok or pan, still over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chillies and cook, stirring continuously, for three to four minutes, until the chillies have softened and are starting to wrinkle.

4. Add the green beans along with one tablespoon of water, the kecap manis, sugar and salt. Cook for another three minutes or so, stirring regularly, until the green beans are just cooked through with a crunchy bite.

5. Stir in most of the toasted coconut and cashews, reserving a little of each for garnish, and return the prawns to the pan. Toss everything together. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the remaining coconut and cashews.

A Splash Of Soy: Everyday Food From Asia by Lara Lee is published by Bloomsbury Publishing on April 27, priced £22. Photography by Louise Hagger.