Since 1994, Mud Australia has created elegant and timeless porcelain homewares.
The original Mud Australia store opened in Woollahra in 2007. Since then we’ve opened 14 stores globally.
Serves 4
Australian chef and food artist Sandy Ho is a long-time friend of Mud. We first tasted this dish when she prepared it for a relaxed lunch in Palm Springs, and it has stayed with us ever since.
Inspired by the Vietnamese classic Cà Ri Gà — a fragrant chicken curry often enjoyed with a light, crusty bánh mì — Sandy’s version turns to prawns, marinated in a rich curry butter sauce. It’s made for spooning generously over warm focaccia or a thick slice of sourdough, inviting a slower, shared way of eating.
Ingredients
Red curry paste (makes 1 cup)
Dried chili de arbol — 12, cut into 1 cm, seeds removed and soaked
Chili soaking water — ¼ cup, reserved
Lemongrass — 2 tbsp, tender lighter parts only, sliced
Galangal — 1 tbsp, peeled and grated or finely minced
Garlic cloves — 4, peeled
Paprika — ½ tsp
Ground coriander — ½ tsp
Ground cumin — ½ tsp
Cilantro roots — 1 tbsp, chopped
Red shallots — 1, peeled and roughly chopped
Makrut lime leaves — 2, sliced (or zest of 1 lime)
Curry butter sauce
Unsalted butter — 10 tbsp
Red curry paste — 4 tbsp (from the recipe above)
Fish sauce — 1 tbsp
Brown sugar — ½ tbsp
Lime juice — ½ lime
Salt — to taste
Prawns
Jumbo prawns — 500g / 1 lb, peeled and deveined with tail on
Garlic cloves — 2, thinly sliced
Lime zest — 1 lime
Neutral oil — ½ tbsp
Salt — ½ tsp
Coriander — ½ cup, chopped for serving
Lime wedges — for serving
Method
Red Curry Paste (makes 1 cup)
- Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth
- Scrape from blender into a jar with tight fitting lid and store in refrigerator for up to 10 days
Curry Butter Sauce
- Melt butter in a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat
- When butter begins to foam (around 5 minutes), whisk in the curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Continue cooking the curry sauce for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the curry paste is fragrant and beginning to caramelise
- Season with salt to taste and turn off heat
- Keep warm while you cook the prawns
Prawns
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix well, leave to marinate for 1 hr or best in the refrigerator overnight
- Heat a skillet over high heat with a 1/2 a tablespoon of neutral oil until just smoking
- Work in batches to sear off the prawns, about 1 minute on each side (do not overcrowd the pan)
- Toss the hot prawns in the prepared curry butter sauce
- Serve hot, spooned over toast or freshly baked focaccia, then top with fresh coriander and lime wedges