Summer Recipe- Welcome Early Monsoon With Tandoori Prawns

This Indian inspired recipe is ideal for a barbecue, served with kachumber salad and a warm naan.The tandoori spice mix that I use for my prawns is quite unconventional. Although it includes all the standard tandoori marinade ingredients, such as yoghurt, lemon juice, chilli and curry spices, I also put in a great deal of pounded fennel seed, which I find gives the marinated prawns an incomparable texture and aromatic flavour. Do splash out on the best-possible whole uncooked prawns for this dish; it is well worth it.

Ingredients

32 large, raw, unshelled prawns
175g / 6oz Greek yoghurt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
For the tandoori masala paste:
15g / ½ oz fennel seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
25g / 1oz fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 red finger chillies, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp cold water

For the kachumber salad:

3 tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 large pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp salt

Method

* Mix together all the ingredients for the lemon chilli marinade.

* Make 3 small slits in either side of each prawn between the shell segments to allow the marinade to penetrate.

* Put the prawns and marinade in a bowl, turning the prawns to coat them, and set aside for 20 minutes.

* For the tandoori masala paste, grind the fennel, coriander and cumin seeds in a coffee grinder or a pestle and mortar.

* Put the spices in a food processor with all the rest of the ingredients and the cold water and blend until smooth.

* Stir the paste into the yoghurt. Add the prawns, stir together well and leave for 20 minutes.

* Thread the prawns on to metal skewers or bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water; piercing them just behind the head and through the tail.

* Cook them over a barbecue or under a very hot grill for 4 minutes, turning them over half-way through.

* While the prawns are cooking, prepare the salad. Halve and thinly slice the tomatoes and onion, then mix with all the remaining salad ingredients.

* Serve with the prawns, together with some warm naan bread.