Mango & Prawns Stir Fry

 

This tantalising stir fry dish showcases two of my favourite local produces - prawns and mangoes.  I use succulent Western Australian wild caught King Prawns from the pristine water of Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf north of Perth.  To prepare them, you remove their heads and shells, then make a slit on the back of the prawn to expose and remove the vein.  When the prawns are cooked, they curl up beautifully into little balls of deliciousness.  As to the mangoes, let me introduce you to the Honey Gold variety, prized for their firm, golden aromatic flesh.  To use, slice the mango down either side of the stone, then take each half and score a crisscross patterns through the flesh, stopping at the skin.  Turn the skin inside out to pop up the mango pieces and slice them off into cubes.  When all the ingredients are prepared ahead, it takes no more than a few minutes for this dish to come together in a hot wok.  Make sure the rice has already been cooked and everyone is seated at the table.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 200g / 7oz raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• flesh of 1 mango (about 250g / 9oz), cut into small cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 60g / 2oz shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 birdseye chilli, finely chopped (or a pinch of dried red chilli flakes)
• ¼ cup water
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl
• a handful of Thai or ordinary basil leaves

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a wok or a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and toss them about for about 30 seconds until aromatic. 
2. Add the red chilli and prawns.  Increase the heat to high and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the prawns turn translucent and are just cooked through.
3. Add the water, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.   Stir in the cornflour mixture while the liquid is bubbling to thicken the sauce.
4. Add the mango pieces.  They don't need to be cooked, just gently combined and heated through with the rest of the ingredients.
5. Remove the wok from heat and stir in the basil leaves.
6. Serve immediately with jasmine rice.