From fish curry to lamingtons: Yotam Ottolenghi’s coconut recipes | Meals

With the summer season holidays now firmly on the horizon,it’s time to start out dreaming of sunsets and tropical islands and fruit. And if that dream is a actuality for any of you, I’m elevating a piña colada to the enjoyable you’ll have. For the remainder of us, nevertheless, it’s a great alternative to show the dial to tropical wherever you’re. And that’s the place coconut is available in, in addition to lime leaves, lime juice, contemporary herbs, contemporary fish and different candy fruit similar to mango that every one work so nicely with it. It’s a match made in heaven, be it tropical or in any other case.

Seafood and plantain curry (pictured above)

That is impressed by tapado, a Guatemalan seafood soup that encompasses a flavourful concoction of seafood, coconut milk, plantain and cassava. Right here, I take advantage of solely plantains, and add lime leaves for somewhat twist. To make it an entire meal, serve with steamed rice or rotis.

Prep 25 min
Cook dinner 2 hr
Serves 4-6

40ml vegetable oil
8 shell-on tiger prawns, peeled and deveined, heads and shells reserved
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
20g piece contemporary ginger, peeled and finely grated
½ scotch bonnet, minced, seeds and all (or take away them when you want much less warmth)
40g bunch contemporary coriander, 20g stalks finely chopped, leaves reserved for the sambal
3 makrut lime leaves
2 purple peppers, stems, pith seeds eliminated, flesh reduce into 2cm items
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (180g)
2 inexperienced plantains (600g), peeled and reduce on the diagonal into ½cm-thick slices (350g)
Superb sea salt
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp tomato paste
400ml full-fat coconut milk
450g skinned cod, or different meaty white fish, reduce into 2½cm-thick items

For the coconut sambal
150g contemporary coconut
2 makrut lime leaves
2 limes – 1 finely zested, to get 2 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp, the opposite reduce into 4 wedges to serve

Put a teaspoon of oil in a big saucepan for which you’ve a lid on a medium-high warmth. As soon as sizzling, add the reserved prawn shells and heads, and prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, for 5 minutes, till deeply pink. Pour in 500ml water, carry to a boil then flip down the warmth to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Crush the heads and shells with a potato masher to extract as a lot flavour from them as attainable, then pour the combination right into a medium heatproof bowl and put to 1 aspect.

Wipe dry the pan and put it on a medium-high warmth. Add a tablespoon of oil, the garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander stalks and lime leaves, and fry, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, till aromatic and golden. Add the peppers, onion, plantains, one other tablespoon of oil and half a teaspoon salt, and prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, for quarter-hour, till translucent. Stir in half the paprika and all of the tomato paste, and fry, nonetheless stirring so it doesn’t catch, for 5 minutes.

Pour the prawn inventory by means of a sieve straight into the pot (discard the solids), add the coconut milk and produce to a boil. Flip down the warmth to medium, placed on the lid and simmer, stirring sometimes, for half-hour.

In the meantime, make the sambal. Put all of the elements bar a teaspoon of lime juice in a meals processor and blitz for a minute, till the combination resembles breadcrumbs.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the cod with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and put aside. In a second bowl, combine the prawns with the remaining quarter-teaspoon of paprika, half a teaspoon of vegetable oil and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt.

When the sauce is prepared, set a griddle pan on a excessive warmth. Grill the prawns for 2 minutes on either side, till they flip a deep pink and begin to char. Whereas they’re grilling, drop the cod into the sauce, put the lid again on the pot and prepare dinner for 4 minutes.

As soon as cooked, put the grilled prawns and remaining teaspoon of lime juice into the curry pot and stir gently to mix. Divide the combination between bowls, prime every serving with a beneficiant spoonful of sambal, and serve with the remainder and the lime wedges alongside.

Coconut rice with peanut crunch

It is a nice aspect dish to go alongside your protein of alternative. The peanut crunch is super-special and can make greater than you want right here; retailer the surplus in an hermetic jar and use for sprinkling over salads and fruit. Should you’re left with only a little bit of coconut milk in a tin, after utilizing what the recipe requires, a neat trick is to freeze the remainder in a compartment or two of an ice-cube tray – this implies it gained’t go to waste and might be on the prepared everytime you want only a bit sooner or later.

Prep 25 min
Cook dinner 40 min
Serves 8

45g virgin coconut oil, plus 1 tsp additional
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped (360g)
3 makrut lime leaves
Superb sea salt
30g desiccated coconut
200g white basmati rice, washed till the water runs clear, then drained
300ml full-fat coconut milk
200g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
250g runner beans, trimmed
1½ tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
20g coriander leaves
10g mint leaves, roughly chopped

For the topping
10g virgin coconut oil
2 tsp chilli flakes
60g salted peanuts
40g desiccated coconut
40g crisp fried onions (shop-bought)
1 tsp gentle mild brown sugar

Put the coconut oil, onions, lime leaves and half a teaspoon of salt in a big saute pan for which you’ve a lid. Put the pan on a medium-high warmth, and prepare dinner, stirring usually, for 10 minutes, till the onions are translucent and calmly colored. Stir within the desiccated coconut, prepare dinner for an additional three to 5 minutes, till calmly browned, then stir within the rice. Pour within the coconut milk and 200ml water, cowl the pan, flip the warmth down low and prepare dinner gently for quarter-hour. Take off the warmth, leaving the lid on, and put aside for quarter-hour. When prepared, carry off the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and depart to chill barely.

In the meantime, make the topping. Soften the coconut oil in a big frying pan on a medium warmth. Add the chilli flakes, peanuts and coconut, and prepare dinner, stirring continuously, for 4 to 6 minutes, till toasted and aromatic. Off the warmth, stir within the fried onions, brown sugar and half a teaspoon of salt, stir to mix, then tip on to a tray and depart to chill. As soon as cool, switch to a meals processor, pulse three to 5 instances, till the peanuts are roughly damaged, then tip right into a bowl and put aside.

Wipe the frying pan clear and put it on a excessive warmth. As soon as the pan is smoking sizzling, add the sweetcorn and prepare dinner, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, till the kernels are popping and barely charred. Tip right into a bowl and return the pan to the warmth. Drizzle the beans with the remaining teaspoon of coconut oil, then drop into the pan. Use tongs or a smaller pan to press them flat, and char for about two minutes a aspect. Switch to a board and, as soon as cooled barely, reduce the beans at an angle into 1½cm-thick slices. Add these to the sweetcorn bowl, then stir within the lime juice, olive oil, herbs and a quarter-teaspoon of salt.

Organize the rice and charred vegetable combination in alternating layers on a platter, sprinkle over a 3rd of the topping and serve with the remainder in a bowl alongside.

Mango and lime lamingtons

These funky-looking muffins are one in every of Australia’s best pastry exports. They’re historically made with strawberry and chocolate, however this model has been given a tropical carry. Amchur powder will be present in Asian grocery shops, however these muffins are nonetheless nice with out it.

Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 1 hr 20 min
Relaxation 1 hr
Makes 20

For the labneh filling
175g labneh (store-bought), or 175g thick-set Greek yoghurt
1½ tbsp icing sugar

For the sponge
260g room temperature unsalted butter
260g caster sugar
5 eggs
340g self-raising flour
Superb sea salt
2 limes – 1 finely zested, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp, the opposite left complete
150ml complete milk
250g desiccated coconut, for coating

For the mango sauce
340g tinned mango puree (alphonso, for choice)
210g condensed coconut milk
55ml vegetable oil
2½ tbsp amchur powder (AKA mango powder) – non-obligatory

Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. First, make the sponge. Grease and line a sq., 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper. Put the butter and sugar within the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place and blend on medium-high velocity for 2 minutes, till pale and fluffy. Flip down the velocity to medium and blend within the eggs separately (don’t fear if the combination curdles). Flip the velocity right down to low, add the flour, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of lime zest, then pour within the milk to create a batter. Switch to the lined tin and unfold out evenly.

Bake for 40 minutes, till deeply golden and a skewer comes out clear, then take away and depart to relaxation within the tin for 10 minutes. Invert on to a wire rack and depart to chill fully.

Whereas the sponge is baking, make the coating. Put a big frying pan on a medium warmth, add half the coconut, and toast, stirring continuously, for seven minutes, till golden. Tip into a big bowl, add the remaining untoasted coconut and half a teaspoon of lime zest, and put aside.

For the sauce, whisk the mango puree, condensed milk, oil, one and a half tablespoons of amchur, if utilizing, and the lime juice in a big bowl till nicely combined.

For the filling, whisk the labneh and icing sugar in a medium bowl. Use a small, sharp knife to peel off the pores and skin and pith of the remaining complete lime, reduce in between the membranes to launch the segments, then roughly chop them. Weigh out 20g of chopped lime segments (save the remainder for an additional use) and stir into the labneh bowl.

Trim the highest and backside crusts off the cooled cake, thereby eradicating the “bump” on prime and levelling it off, then reduce in half horizontally to make two equal layers. Unfold the filling over the within of the cake, then sandwich the 2 slices again collectively. Minimize the crusts off the perimeters, to neaten it, then reduce into 20 4cm x 5cm squares.

Working separately, fastidiously dip either side of every sq. cake into the mango sauce, so it’s coated on all sides. Dip within the desiccated coconut combine, toss gently to coat throughout, then placed on a serving plate and repeat with the remaining muffins, sauce and coconut.

Mud the muffins with the remaining tablespoon of amchur, if utilizing, and serve.