Moroccan Prawn Curry

This is a simple dish that's perfect for those Friday night suppers when you're cooking and chatting to friends at the same time.  The recipe was adapted from a North African cookbook, and has undergone a few changes to bring down the calorie count to about 450 per person (the recipe caters for 2 - double the ingredients for 4 but adjust the spices to 1.5 tsp rather than 2)  It's very aromatic, pretty hot (cut down on the chillies if you want to cool it slightly) and 100% foolproof.

Goes well with a very chilled white Rioja or a Verdicchio from the Marche in Italy.  Don't spend a lot of money on the wine though. Olives and the like for 'mezze' before the curry natch.

Ingredients :

20 raw king / tiger prawns
1 x red onion thinly sliced
1 x red pepper thinly sliced
5 x chestnut mushrooms sliced
3 x cloves garlic crushed
6 x ripe tomatoes (or 1 can tomatoes)
200ml chicken (or veg) stock
1 x tsp dry chilli
1 x tsp cumin
1 x tsp turmeric
1 x star anise
1 x bayleaf

Method :

Saute the onion and pepper in 1 tblsp olive oil until soft and the onion transparent.  Add the raw prawns and cook gently for 5 mins with the onion/pepper mix.  Add the garlic, bayleaf and the spices, mix and cook gently (lowest heat) for another 5 minutes.  Add the shrooms and the tomatoes - turn up the heat  and cook a little until everything is mixed and bubbling before adding the stock.  Stir well and leave to simmer on a lowish heat for appx 20 or until the sauce reduces 50%.  Season with black pepper (no salt) and garnish with chopped coriander or parsley if desired.  Serve with pittas or brown rice.