Prawn Risoni: by Sha’ Dan (aka Daniel Gratton)

These ingredients will serve two people. Prep time 10 minutes. Once prepped it will take around 15- 20 minutes to cook.

This recipe is a reduction cooking method. Risoni is the same as Risotto but is a pasta. This dish can be done exactly the same way if you choose to use Abborio rice instead of Risoni.

Ingredience:
½ a kilo of fresh green prawns.
1ear of corn.
1 – 2 cloves of garlic.
1 lemon.
About a dozen chilli flakes. (who counts)
2 small or 1 large brown onions.
1 glass of white wine.
1 tablespoon of ginger.
2 vegetable stock cubes.
Olive oil.
Salt and Pepper.
About 15 - 20 sugar peas (if no sugar peas you can substitute for snow peas)
Sweet Chilli Sauce.
2 Spring onions.

To make the stock:
Shell the prawn and put the heads and shell in a pot.
Fill the pot with water. Just enough water to cover the shells.
Put on the stove and bring to the boil.
Add the two vegetable stock cubes.
Reduce heat to allow the water to simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Strain the shells and stock and bring the liquid back to the boil.
Turn off the heat.
The Stock is now ready.

Preparing the Risoni.
While your stock is simmering.
Cut the kernels off the corn cob.
Measure out 3 cups of risoni.
De-string the sugar peas and chop into large-ish size pieces.
Roughly chop the garlic cloves.
Grate or finely chop the ginger.
Peel and roughly chop up the onions.
Take around 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of zest from the lemon.
Cut the lemon in half and juice the lemon.


Put sufficient Olive Oil into a saucepan to cover the base.
Put on a hot heat. Add the onion and stir until they are translucent.
Add the chilli flakes.
As soon as the oil is hot add the 3 cups of risoni and stir/fold into the oil and make sure it coats the risoni. The risoni will be a little translucent when ready. (approx 1 ½ to 2 minutes)
Slowly add the stock so that it just covers the risoni.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the corn kernels whilst stirring constantly.
Add the ginger, the lemon zest and the lemon juice.
Allow the mixture to regain some heat.
Add the glass of white wine. And continue to stir. (if the risoni is not covered with stock, add more stock so that is just covers the surface of the risoni.)
Reduce the heat to low or a little above and continue to stir ensuring the mixture does not stick.
After about 10 -12 minutes taste the risoni. If it is almost soft but still has a little nut crunchiness to it, it is time to cook the the prawns and blanch the sugar peas.
Boil a kettle/jug.
Place a frying pan onto a high heat and add a little olive oil.
Add the chopped garlic.
When the oil is hot add the prawns to the pan. (don’t for get to stir the risoni as often as you can. If the risoni is sticking add more stock or hot water a little at a time. Just enough to make sure it does not stick to the saucepan.) (Reduce the heat to help prevent sticking).

Have the sugar peas in a bowl.
Add the hot water to them once you turn the prawns over.

When the prawns are cooked remove from heat.
Scoop the crispy garlic out of the pan and place on some paper towelling to remove access oil.
Drain the sugar peas and add them to the risoni and stir them through the mixture.

Spoon the risoni into bowls.
Add the prawns over the top.
Sprinkle the crispy Garlic over the prawns.
Garnish with a very slight drizzle of sweet chilli sauce and chopped spring onion.