The Startup Cook – Prawn Casserole

Prawns have always been my favourite seafood. I love it batter-fried, barbequed, in curry, in pasta – I’m always in a mood for prawns. However for long as I can recall, I have been craving for prawns submerged in cheese (I do absolutely love cheese as well).But in a country where cheese is so expensive (that purchasing a cow and producing your own dairy products may seem more cost effective), béchamel sauce becomes a substitute for cheddar.

Therefore if you’re seeking to make a hearty yet not detrimental to the purse sort of dinner, then do give this recipe a chance. It promises to be the most delicious Saturday night dinner.

Ingredients

500g of Prawns
100g of green peas
3 potatoes (large)
3 red onions
1 carrot (large)
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of milk
3 cheese (single) slices
4 tbs of flour
4 tbs of butter
2 tbs of oyster sauce
1 tsp of mustard
½ lime
Butter
Chilli powder
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 180 Celsius. Prepare a square baking dish and set aside.

Wash, cut in to halves and boil potatoes in a pan on a medium high heat.

While the potatoes are boiling, wash, clean and devein prawns.

Juice the lime over the prawns, add a teaspoon of chilli powder, half teaspoon of salt, pepper and let it marinade.

Once the potatoes have boiled, take it off the heat and let it cool.

Add the butter and flour in to a pan, place the pan on a low heat and whisk the butter and flour briskly until well combined.

Slowly pour in the milk whilst whisking. Add salt, pepper, a teaspoon of mustard and whisk until a thick and smooth sauce has formed.

Take the sauce of the heat and set it aside.

Peel and cut the boiled potatoes in to cubes. Add a teaspoon of salt, butter, a tablespoon of milk and mash.

Peel, wash and fine dice red onions and garlic.

Melt a tablespoon of butter on a medium high flame, add the chopped onion, garlic and sauté.

Let the onions almost caramelise and then add the prawns with some salt, pepper, oyster sauce and cook until they turn pink.

As soon as the prawns turn pink, take it off the heat and let it cool.

Dice the carrot in to pieces, and then add it along with the green peas to the béchamel sauce.

Add the prawns (along with garlic and onion), to the sauce and mix it all together.

Pour the mixture in to the prepared dish.

Tear the cheese slices in to bits and add it on top of the mixture.

Spoon the mashed potatoes on top.

Bake for 45 – 60 minutes.

Disasters, Warnings and Tips

Merge the green peas in warm water before using them.

Serve this casserole with some buttered bread. Delish!

Having the mashed potato baked until a little crispy is a personal preference.

Prawns cook very fast, don’t cook them for too long on the pan or they could become hard and rubber like.

I used a food processor to make the mashed potato.

Robin Wright should have won that Emmy not that stupid Good Wife!

I’ve repeated butter on the list of ingredients because the 4 tbs of butter is only for the béchamel sauce.

For your mashed potato, use butter according to personal taste.

The scent of garlic frying in butter is intoxicating.

Use some chopped parsley if you feel a little festive.

By Shazzana Hamid