fawn nguyen: Curry Glazed Prawns and Summer Pasta

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Curry Glazed Prawns and Summer Pasta

I like to make these prawns as an appetizer for our dinner parties. They're so easy to prepare — like everything else that I make — and everyone loves them.

Ted and I are without the kids this weekend, so I'm making a smaller batch — about 30 prawns. I gather all the stuff I need. I recommend Madras Curry Powder (label with 3 bells), and you can use white wine instead of the sake that I'm using. I'm soaking six skewers in water so they don't burn too easily during grilling.

I chop up fresh ginger, shallots, and mince some garlic. I begin by roasting 2 teaspoons of curry until fragrant, about 2 minutes, then pour it out into a small bowl. In the same pan, I add olive oil to saute the ginger, shallots, and garlic. It smells incredible already. Then I add 1/4 cup of sake and cook it down to half.

Next, I add 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Stir well. I add the roasted curry, then salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. I turn off the heat and prepare the prawns. Each skewer gets about 5 prawns. I pour the curry glaze on the prawns and make sure everything is well coated. I normally let this marinate for a few hours in the fridge, but today it'll sit for just half an hour while I prepare the pasta.

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I've been making this super quick and easy "summer" pasta forever. I picked up some gorgeous tomatoes yesterday at the farmer's market; cherry tomatoes are great too for this dish. These are what I mix in the bowl: 1/2 cup good olive oil, chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and lots of chopped fresh basil.

I mix everything well and set it aside, then I start cooking a package of angel hair pasta. (Ted also starts heating up the grill for the prawns.) I drain the pasta into a colander and pour it back into the pot. I pour the tomato mixture over the pasta and toss well. I serve it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

I didn't start making this meal until the fourth quarter of the Knicks and Mavericks game. Jeremy Lin proves to be the real deal. We get to celebrate a great Knicks win over this de-Lin-cious lunch! (Sorry, everyone else is doing it.)