Chipotle and Tamarind Glazed Prawns

We're having a Mexican night at the weekend and this is a recipe I will be making. It comes from the BBC Good Food magazine of July 2008. 

Chipotle and Tamarind Glazed Prawns

Serves 4-6

100g golden caster sugar
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 tbsp chipotle paste  *
2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp tamarind paste  *
1-2 tbsp olive oil
30 large raw peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

Put the sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic, chipotle, rum, tamarind and 2 tbsp water.  Stir then simmer for 5 mins until you have a thick, dark sauce.  Season to taste.

The sauce can be made a few hours ahead.

Heat a wok or large frying pan.  When it is smoking hot, add the oil.  Add the prawns and fry for 1 minute then add the sauce. Cook for 2-3 mins until the prawns are pink all over and the sauce has turned into a sticky glaze.

Serve with wedges of lime. (or lemon as above)

How to make Tamarind Paste

Soak a 14 oz block of tamarind in 14 fl oz lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now take handfuls of the tamarind pods and keep squashing and squeezing the now softened pulp to separate it from the veins, seeds and tough membranes.  You can do this through a sieve if you prefer. Discard the veins, seeds and membranes and keep the puree.

The ratio of one block of tamarind to 14fl oz water will yield approximately 16 fl oz concentrated tamarind pulp, ready to use in your recipe. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks and will also freeze.

How to make Chipotle Paste

This is an adaption of a recipe in Mexican Food Made Easy by Thomasina Miers.

50g chipotle chillies

1/2 small onion roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

80 ml white wine vinegar

15ml balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp demerara sugar

1/2 tbsp sea salt.

Wash the chipotles and snip off the stalk. Cover with water in a small pan and simmer 30-40 minutes until completely soft.  

Put the onion, garlic, herbs and cumin into a blender with 200ml water and the chillies and any liquid left in the pan.  Blend until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the chilli paste and fry for about 3 mins.  Add the remaining ingredients and another 100ml water and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring.

Store in a clean sterilised jar in the fridge.  This will keep for months.