My wellness corner, my kitchen!

I am fed up of lockdown as are most of my colleagues and friends.

I need to keep busy, to keep creative. 

Mindfulness and Mindful cooking are my buzzwords.

I'm a doctor mum  and a foodie medic, but I am by no means an expert, in nutrition, dietetics or how to make your food taste good! A little patience goes a long way.

This my wellness corner, my escape, after a busy surgery when all that matters is a bit of chopping, some saute'ing, a sauce bubbling away gently, the aromas filling the kitchen. There are hundreds, nay, thousands of online food communities springing up everyday. We share our stories, our inspiration, our recipes, and I love sharing with my medical community which has its own richness of culture and inspiration. 

As often what I cook is created on the spot, I thought I would write down the steps of my recipes here to share..

I acquired an Instant Pot for Christmas and love experimenting with it. 

So here is a recipe for 'shell-on prawns', juicy, spicy and a ten minute job. (Well you do need to prep)

Ingredients:

1 tsp yellow mustard

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp panchphoran (mix of five spices, find this in your nearest Indian shop). If you cannot, just use 1/2 tsp each of fennel seeds and fenugreek

Dry roast the above till dark brown and aromatic then crush to a powder using a mortar and pestle (I used this step to save time, as a spice paste would need to be gently fried in hot oil for much longer)

500 g raw shell-on prawns (defrost thoroughly if using frozen)

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium onion chopped

1-2 green chillies chopped

1/2 inch ginger crushed

2 cloves garlic minced

1 large tomato chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 cup coconut milk (I used powdered coconut milk and reconstituted with hot water)

Salt to taste

Method:

Turn on Instant Pot to saute mode, add the oil and when hot gently fry the chopped onions, followed by chillies, ginger and garlic. Add the powdered spices and stir in. Add tomato puree and chopped tomatoes and fry in saute mode (you may need to turn off and back on again to ensure no burning). Add the turmeric and salt and stir. 

Turn off saute mode, add prawns, add half a cup of water to loosen everything (perhaps a little less), then add the coconut milk, combine everything, secure lid and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. (6 minutes may be sufficient if using smaller or peeled prawns). When timer beeps, quick-release (QR) the pressure. Enjoy with rice of your choice.