Fennel and Potato Curry with Beef and Coconut Prawns

A wonderful parent of some triplets I taught this year gave me some great food gear for Christmas. One of the things she gave me was some Afrika Kalahari Curry Powder. To add to that, my wife is away (boo) but that means I therefore am allowed to cook with fennel (hooray). I dig on curry but am far from an expert on cooking it but this did exceeded my expectations. Very little prep and a whole wad of flavour - I had thirds by the end of the night. I forgot to boil rice as I was cooking while on the phone but after I had eaten, I boiled some pearl barley and mixed it through the left overs and it was very gooooood. If you can't get this particular curry powder, make you own or buy something that looks fancy - Keens Curry Powder won't cut it.

4 heaped tsp Afrika Kalahari Curry Powder

300gms prawns shelled

1/2 cup corn flour

1 egg beaten

1 cup shredded coconut

1 small piece rump steak

Salt

Lemon wedges

2 medium potatoes peeled and diced

2 bulbs fennel in 16th wedges (stems and fronds reserved)

1 onion sliced
1 clove garlic sliced
1 or 2 cups chicken stock

Yoghurt

1 handful coriander chopped

Tomato or some kind of chutney

Boiled rice or pearl barley

Poppadoms

Mix 1 heaped tsp of the curry powder through the flour. Dust the prawns in the flour, shake off the excess, pass through the beaten egg and then coat with the shredded coconut, pressing it in. Cover with foil and place in the fridge until you are ready for it. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan that has a lid and toast 2 1/2 tsp of curry powder until fragrant. Toss the onion, potato and fennel through the flavoured oil. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock, add the lid and fennel stems and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender. Remove the fennel stems.

Heat  some olive oil to medium high. Sprinkle 1/2 a tsp of curry powder over the steak then fry in the oil on each side until medium rare. Remove to a clean plate, cover and keep warm to rest. Fry the coconut coated prawns in the same oil until there is nice colour on both sides (or deep fry for a more even result). Sprinkle the cooked prawn with salt and a squeeze of lemon. Thinly slice the steak and pour any resting juice into the curry. Stir through the chopped coriander and half of the fennel fronds.

Add enough rice to each bowl, top with some curry and sauce, add some steak to each bowl and some coconut prawns, garnish with some dill fronds, chutney, some fennel fronds, splotches of yoghurt and poppadoms.