When my niece discovered that she didn’t have any allergic reactions to prawns like we feared, she went on a prawn eating rampage. I love finding different ways to serve prawns whenever she comes to visit, and this is one of those recipes she likes. It’s a play on Ginataang Kalabasa at Hipon. If you have a lot of leftover sauce, you can add more water or broth to it and make a nice soup.

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 to 12  large prawns (10 a kg), shells and middle vein removed
250 g squash, cut into small pieces
2 stalks lemongrass, bottoms pounded |
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried sage
1/2  large onion, sliced thinly
2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut milk
8 tbsps olive oil
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a sauce pan, saute the squash, lemongrass and onion for two minutes in 4 tbsps of oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Add in the thyme, sage and bay leaf and saute one minute longer.
  3. Pour in the water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer gently for 20 minutes.
  4. Remove the bay leaf and lemongrass and then pour ingredients into a blender. Add in coconut milk and blend.  Season to taste.
  5. In a pan, heat up the remaining oil. Season the prawns with salt and cayenne pepper.
  6. Cook the prawns in the oil, about 2 minutes on each side. Serve the prawns with the sauce at the bottom.