Name: Goan Prawn & Tender Coconut Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Prawns, cleaned, deveined, and lightly boiled with a pinch of turmeric; 1 cup Tender Coconut, the soft malai scooped and sliced into strips; 1 Onion, finely sliced; 1 Tomato, deseeded and chopped; 1 Green Chili Pepper, finely chopped; 3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped; 2 tbsp Lemon Juice; 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, extra virgin or cold-pressed; ½ tsp Salt

20 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 5 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Ingredients

250 gPrawnscleaned, deveined, and lightly boiled with a pinch of turmeric
1 cupTender Coconutthe soft malai scooped and sliced into strips
1Onionfinely sliced
1Tomatodeseeded and chopped
1Green Chili Pepperfinely chopped
3 tbspCoriander Leaveschopped
2 tbspLemon Juice
1 tbspCoconut Oilextra virgin or cold-pressed
½ tspSalt

Quantities are for 2 servings.

Twenty minutes, most of it cooling the prawns. Everything else is assembly.

Method

Boil the cleaned prawns for just 3-4 minutes until they turn pink and opaque. Overcooking will make them rubbery. Drain and let them cool completely.
3–4 min
Scoop out the soft, jelly-like flesh (malai) from a tender coconut. Slice it into bite-sized strips.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled prawns, tender coconut strips, sliced onions, tomatoes, and green chilli.
Pour the virgin coconut oil and fresh lemon juice over the mixture. The coconut oil provides an authentic coastal aroma.
Add salt and fresh coriander. Toss gently to combine without breaking the delicate coconut pieces. Serve fresh.

How to tell it's done

A unique, luxurious mouthfeel featuring firm, bouncy prawns against melt-in-the-mouth tender coconut jelly.

Getting it right

Tip

Use the youngest tender coconut you can find; the malai should be translucent and jelly-like, not firm and white.

What to serve it with

A stunning starter or exotic side salad for a grand seafood feast, paired with Goan Fish Curry.

Common mistakes

The prawns are rubbery.: Three or four minutes is the whole cooking time, and they should come out the moment they turn opaque. Prawns keep firming in their own heat, so drain and cool them immediately.
The coconut breaks up into shreds.: Slice the tender flesh into strips with a knife rather than spooning it out in pieces, and fold rather than toss. Tender coconut is soft enough to disintegrate under a serving spoon.

Substitutions

Mature coconut can be used if tender coconut is unavailable, sliced thin — it is firmer and less sweet.
Squid or firm white fish work in place of prawns and take the same brief cooking.

Storing and reheating

Serve fresh, within a couple of hours. Boiled prawns keep a day in the fridge and tender coconut flesh two days in its own water, but dressed with lemon the salad softens quickly.

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