Prawn and Kimchi Herbed Rice
Is it time to treat yourself? This easy dinner feels like a gift - it's delicious and is maybe something a bit different from your regular meal rotation ♡
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Hello lovely people,
Sometimes we can tell ourselves that those meals requiring hours of preparation are the most special - a real treat. I’m not sure that I subscribe to that view. For me, a low-effort dinner that delivers in spades is the ultimate treat, because apart from anything else, I am left with plenty of energy to enjoy it once the cooking is done. I wrote here about the transition from cooking for 5 to cooking for 2 and to me, this feels like a perfect dinner for two. There are so many reasons why I am in love with this Prawn and Kimchi Herbed Rice but the speed with which it comes together is right up there.♡
I came across this dish in a feature in The Guardian. The original was a recipe by Carla Lalli Music and I’ve tweaked it to make it more straightforward and a little more wholesome. At its core, this is a dish of prawns cooked in a tomato sauce, where kimchi is added for a bit of umphy flavour and butter is used to add some richness. Maybe this isn’t the most obvious of combinations, but it works so elegantly and I would hugely encourage you to give it a try.
What is kimchi?
It's basically spicy, fermented cabbage, kind of like sauerkraut but with Korean flavours such as garlic, ginger and chilli. It is at the core of Korean cooking and gives a real boost of sour, tangy, salty and spicy flavour to all sorts of dishes. Because kimchi is naturally fermented, it's also full of healthy bacteria so it delivers benefits to your health as well as a punchy, delicious flavour. When you are buying kimchi, make sure that it's from the refrigerated section of the supermarket because then you know it's alive and it's also less likely to contain nasty preservatives. Kimchi often contains fish sauce, so look carefully at the label if you are a vegetarian.
Will I like kimchi?
It does deliver a fairly funky flavour and it can also be quite spicy, but once you cook it (as we’re doing here) the flavours really mellow and you enjoy the benefits of all those colourful flavour nuances without the hassle of a huge list of ingredients. I adore it used in this recipe for Kimchi Fried Egg Rice ♡
Wholegrain rice – for speed, I used rice that I had already cooked and stored in the freezer, but you could also cook your rice specifically for this meal. The rice is definitely an element that you could prepare in advance if that suits you. I tend to opt for wholegrain rice over white as it keeps the hunger pangs away for longer.
Unsalted butter – the richness of the butter really balances the kimchi and choosing the unsalted variety means that you are free to adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Kimchi – the spiciness of kimchi does vary a great deal, so if you are sensitive to heat, perhaps use caution on your quantity the first time that you make this. I find it useful to weigh out my kimchi into a flat bowl and then use some kitchen scissors to cut up the vegetable pieces – it’s much easier than with a knife.
Cherry tomatoes – the tomatoes are simmered in a buttery kimchi sauce and then, when they are soft are gently squashed with a fork to release their juices. HOT TIP: I would highly recommend piercing each tomato with the tip of a sharp knife before tipping them into the sauce to cook. This means that when you come to squash them, they will collapse more easily and you can avoid having hot tomato juice squirt onto your hands. I speak from painful experience!
Prepared, uncooked large prawns – perhaps cut them into two if they are enormous. If your prawns are pink and already cooked, they can just be quickly warmed through in the sauce (see recipe).
Fresh basil leaves – these are shredded at the last minute and forked through the warm, cooked rice.
It is deliciously tasty – let’s get that point in first because arguably it’s by far the most important thing.
The smell as it cooks is mouth-watering – and when your teenage daughter comments on the gorgeousness of the aromas coming from the kitchen, you know to take note.
You can prepare so much of this dish in advance – I had cooked the rice ahead of time and stashed it in the freezer (defrosting it before I used it). I also cooked the sauce up to the end of stage 2 in the recipe and then warmed it up and threw in the prawns when we were ready to eat.
It has the air of a highly elegant dish – and let it be our secret that it’s actually also very, very easy!
The leftovers are wonderful for lunch the next day - although you may end up fighting over them!
Even if you’ve never tried kimchi before, I would urge you to give this Prawn and Kimchi Herbed Rice a chance. Consider it as a gentle entry level into trying a new ingredient that might feel a touch daunting. It may be your new favourite thing ♡
Prawn and Kimchi Herbed Rice
Serves 2-3
Preparation - 15 mins
Cook - 20 mins
Ingredients
450g (1lb) cooked rice (I used wholegrain)
150g (5oz) kimchi
100g (4oz) unsalted butter
250g (9oz) cherry tomatoes - each one pierced with the point of a sharp knife
225g (8oz) large uncooked prawns - peeled, deveined and, if enormous, each cut into two pieces
salt
a handful of basil leaves, thinly shredded
Method
Prepare the kimchi - weigh out the kimchi into a flat bowl and then use some kitchen scissors to cut up the vegetable pieces – it’s much easier than with a knife.
Make the sauce - melt the butter in a wide based saucepan until it foams, then add the prepared kimchi and its juices and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes until the sauce is simmering. Add the prepared tomatoes (each one pierced with the point of a sharp knife) and continue to simmer gently for 4 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to collapse and their skins are wrinkled. Press gently on the tomatoes with the back of a fork so that they split and release their juices, then simmer for a further 3 minutes. Add a splash of water at this stage if the sauce seems too dry.
Add the prawns - add the prepared uncooked prawns to the sauce, lower the heat and cook very gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until pink and just opaque. NOTE - if your prawns are already cooked, they will need less time; just enough to be thoroughly heated through.
Check the seasoning - taste the sauce and season with a little salt if necessary.
Prepare the rice - warm the cooked rice either in a microwave or by placing it in a colander and pouring a large kettle of boiling water over it. Now gently mix in the shredded basil and serve the rice with the prawn sauce spooned over the top.
This new recipe for Prawn and Kimchi Herbed Rice feels extra special but is actually super easy and extra delicious. Do let me know when you make it; you can join the conversation by commenting below or you can get straight into my inbox by emailing me at rachelpage@substack.com ♡
Sending you all the love,
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