Tandoori king prawns w/ cucumber, mint & pickled red onion salad

Serves: 4 as a starter or as part of a buffet Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 10 mins

We’re fighting the post lock down bulge with this healthy tandoori king prawn recipe, coupled with a light and zingy cucumber salad to add some texture and tang. It’s incredibly easy to make, using a quick, yogurt and spice marinade before you pan-fry or BBQ the prawns.

Ingredients For the tandoori king prawns

• 300ml natural yoghurt

• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon of hot paprika

• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (or as much as you like!)

• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric

• 1 teaspoon of garam masala

• The juice of half a lemon

• 2 cloves garlic - crushed or grated

• 1 inch of grated ginger

• Salt & pepper

• ---

• 20 large king prawns - shelled & deveined

• 4 large bamboo skewers, soaked in hot water (this stops them from burning as easily on a BBQ)

• Some ground nut or rape seed oil for pan-frying

• Lemon wedges to serve (optional)

For the cucumber salad

• 1 small cucumber, halved lengthways & deseeded, then thinly sliced on the angle

• 1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced into half moons

• 50ml of white wine vinegar

• 25ml of water

• 2 tablespoons of caster sugar

• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds, toasted

• A small bunch of mint, leaves picked & roughly chopped

Method To prepare and cook the prawns

1. Gently mix together all the marinade ingredients. Don't stir too vigorously or the yogurt will go runny.

2. Dry the prawns well on kitchen roll and toss in the marinade, then put five prawns on each skewer, pass the skewer through the body and the tail.

3. To cook in a kitchen: Heat a little oil in a frying pan until almost smoking hot. Cook the prawns for around 2 mins on each side until cooked through and a little charred.

4. To cook on a BBQ: Place on a very hot BBQ for around 2 mins on each side, until cooked through and a little charred.

To make the cucumber salad

1. Make a quick pickle by combining the vinegar, water, sugar and coriander seeds in a small saucepan. Bring to the heat, ensuring all the sugar has melted, than take off the heat and add the red onion. Stir until the red onion is softened and turning very pink. Remove the onion from the pickle, but retain some pickle as your dressing.

2. Combine the cucumber, red onion and chopped mint and dress with a little pickle, just before you're ready to serve it.