Prawns in Spicy Coconut Sauce

Description
Yield: 1 servings

Ingredients

 * 14 oz Canned coconut milk
 * 8 Dried, red chile peppers *
 * 2 ts Cumin seeds
 * 2 ts Coriander seeds
 * 1 ts Turmeric
 * 1 tb Grated fresh ginger
 * 6 Garlic cloves, minced
 * 5 tb Peanut oil
 * 1 lg Onion, thinly sliced
 * Salt
 * 1 lb Prawns, shelled, deveined

Directions

 * 1) Process the grated fresh coconut or the desiccated coconut with 3 1/2 cups hot water in a food processor.
 * 2) Drape a piece of folded cheesecloth over a bowl and pour the coconut mixture into the cheesecloth.
 * 3) Strain the liquid, squeezing the pulp to extract as much milk as possible.
 * 4) This is thick coconut milk; set aside.
 * 5) Pour 2 1/2 cups hot water over the coconut in the cheesecloth and squeeze to extract more milk into another bowl. # This second extract is thin coconut milk. Set aside.
 * 6) If you are using canned coconut milk, skip this step and proceed with the recipe.
 * 7) Grind the chile peppers, cumin and coriander seeds in a spice grinder and set aside.
 * 8) Process the thick coconut milk (or canned coconut milk) with the ground spices, turmeric, ginger and garlic; set aside.
 * 9) Heat the oil in a heavy, shallow pan. Add the onions and cook until the edges begin to turn almost reddish brown (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.
 * 10) Add the coconut-spice mixture and cook until the liquid evaporates and oil separates from the paste.
 * 11) Cook this paste for 10 more minutes, stirring constantly.
 * 12) Stir in the reserved thin coconut milk (or 2 cups water, if you have used canned coconut milk) and let simmer until reduced to a creamy sauce.
 * 13) Add salt to taste.
 * 14) Stir the prawns into the sauce and cook a few minutes until the prawns are just cooked. Serve with steamed rice.
 * 15) Grated fresh coconut: Pierce the eyes of a fresh coconut and drain off the liquid.
 * 16) Put the coconut in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes.
 * 17) Break it open with a hammer and separate the meat from the hard shell in large pieces.
 * 18) Break the pieces into smaller ones and, using a vegetable peeler, peel the brown skin off the meat.
 * 19) Grate the coconut meat in a food processor.