RECIPE
Poh ' s Nonya prawn and pineapple curry
Feeds 6-8 Gluten-free, dairy-free
IN 2010, I was lucky enough to fillm with famous Nyonya cook, Florence Tan, for an episode of Poh’ s Kitchen and this is one of the delicious recipes she shared with me. It’ s spicy, sour and screams with punchy flavour. Here, I’ ve used the almonds as a thickening agent instead of traditional candlenut. Also, watering the gravy down a little and eating it with egg or rice noodles makes for a delicious alternative to a laksa.
INGREDIENTS 500g pineapple flesh, cut into bitesized pieces 2 cups water 6 pieces dried tamarind * 6 makrut lime leaves * 350ml coconut milk 2-3 tsp salt OR to taste ¼ cup( 50g) caster sugar 700g prawns or firm fleshed fish 2 Tbsp lime juice 2 ⁄ 3 cup vegetable oil
REMPAH( wet spice paste) 12 small and 5 large dried red chillies, de-seeded and snipped into small pieces * 300g red eschalots or Spanish onions, peeled and quartered 3 large cloves garlic, peeled 20g belachan, roughly chopped * 3-4cm piece of galangal, sliced as thinly as possible 4 stalks lemongrass, white part only, dry outer layers removed, finely sliced 12 raw almonds
GARNISH 1 handful picked mint leaves 1 handful picked coriander leaves
* Available in some supermarkets or easily found in Asian grocers.
Soak the chillies in three quarters of a cup of freshly boiled water for 30 minutes or until soft( tip: weigh them down with a saucer so they are fully submerged). To prepare the rempah, combine all the rempah ingredients, including the chilli water, in a blender and blitz into a fine paste. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based non-stick saucepan or wok over medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring continuously. When the paste is ready it will be pulpy and turn a rusty brown colour. Caramelising the spice paste adequately is key to a successful curry – it needs to be cooked long enough so all the sugars are drawn out and the spices are roasted to create a deep, rounded flavour. Add the pineapple, water, tamarind and makrut leaves to the paste and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to the boil and then add the prawn meat and cook for five minutes or until just cooked through. Add the lime juice, then taste to see if more salt, sugar or lime is needed to balance the flavours. Garnish with mint and coriander if using. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
More almond recipes
CRUNCH
RECIPES FOR EVERY DAY WITH POH LING YEOW & AUSTRALIAN ALMONDS
Want more delicious almond recipes? Download your free copy of CRUNCH Recipes for Every Day with Poh Ling Yeow & Australian Almonds. Packed with sweet and savoury recipes, it ' s the perfect way to fit almonds into your day.
1
36 In A Nutshell- Autumn 2026 Vol 27 Issue 1