serves
4
prep
35 minutes
cook
15 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
15
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 lime, white pith removed, rind reserved
- 70 g (1 cup) shredded coconut, toasted
- 75 g (½ cup) unsalted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 300 g cooked school prawns, peeled
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- 3 cm-piece ginger, finely chopped
- 3 red bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
- 12 betel leaves (see Note)
Sweet coconut sauce
- 70 g (1 cup) shredded coconut, toasted
- ½ red onion, chopped
- ½ tsp shrimp paste (see Note), roasted
- 1 tbsp tamarind purée
- 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) corn syrup
- 1 tsp ground galangal or 3 cm-piece galangal or ginger, cut into 3 slices
Serves 4 as a starter
Instructions
To make sweet coconut sauce, process coconut, onion, shrimp paste, tamarind purée, 80ml water and 1 tsp salt in a food processor to a paste. Add another 330ml water and process until smooth. Transfer to a pan and stir in sugar, corn syrup and galangal. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Discard galangal, then set aside. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Finely chop lime flesh and rind. Place lime, coconut, peanuts, prawns, onion, ginger and chillies in separate piles on a platter. Transfer sauce into a small bowl, add to platter with betel leaves, then serve for everyone to make their own. To assemble, place a little of each onto centre of leaf, wrapping tightly to enclose.
Notes
• Betel leaves are from select Asian food shops.
• Shrimp paste is from select supermarkets and Asian food shops. To roast, wrap in a piece of foil and place in an oven heated to 200°C for 10 minutes. Cool before using.
Photography Brett Stevens
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
