Tom Rim (King Prawns sauteed with tomato, fish sauce and black pepper)

The other main that i decided upon for my little dinner party last night was Tom Rim, a Vietnamese dish that i found in one of my favorite cookbooks, Secrets of the Red Lantern. Tweaked a little to my tastes (though not the spice-fearing tastes of one of my guests, Darryl), these prawns are fresh, lively and have a warming linger of chilli heat.

Ingredients (Serves 4, or 8 as part of a banquet)

• 24 king prawns (about 600gm shelled), shelled and deveined
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups prawn stock
• 4 birds eye chillis, chopped
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 stalks scallions, finely sliced
• 1 handful coriander
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 5 tbsp sugar

Method

Heat the vegetable in a large wok over medium heat
Add the garlic and chillis and fry until fragrant

Add the sugar, tomato paste and prawns, and toss through

Add the pepper, fish sauce, stock and tomato

Bring to a simmer then cook for 3 minutes
Remove the prawns to a serving dish and turn heat to high

Boil the sauce until reduced to a thickened consistency

Drizzle sauce over the prawns
Top with the coriander and scallions