I love this dish. It has the heat and pungency of the green chillies but the actual spices provide the background flavours and are quite mild. It is a hugely popular dish from Bengal, based on the beautiful local tiger prawns. I use both coconut milk and cream as this dish has a rich coconut flavour that would normally be derived from grating and extracting thick and thin milks from fresh coconuts. However, for speed, I cheat and use shop-bought versions. If you wish, you can add a little extra milk and omit the cream altogether.

2 medium onions, peeled and cut into chunks

8g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

4 cloves

6 green cardamom pods

2 large chards of cinnamon

3 tbsp vegetable oil

5g garlic (approximately 2 large cloves), peeled and made into a paste

3-6 green chillies, slight lengthwise but left whole

¾ tsp turmeric

1 rounded tsp coriander powder

350-400 ml coconut milk

salt, to taste

1 tsp sugar, or to taste

600g medium-large tiger prawns, shelled but with the tail left intact, deveined and cleaned

50g coconut cream (optional)

1 Blend the onions and the ginger to a fine paste. Grind together 2 cloves, 3 cardamom pods and 1 cinnamon chard in a pestle and mortar; set aside.

2 Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add the remaining whole spices and fry for 20 seconds or until fragrant. Add the onion paste and fry over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. It is important that the onions are cooked through.

3 Add the garlic, chillies, turmeric, coriander powder and a splash of water and cook for 1 minute.

4 Stir in the coconut milk, salt and sugar, bring to a boil, then simmer over a low heat for 3-4 minutes.

5 Add the prawns and simmer for 2-3 minutes until cooked.

6 Stir in the reserved ground spices and coconut cream, if using, and serve.

More Anjum Anand recipes

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