It’s Winter. There. We said it. It’s time to pack away the light, airy salads and the like…and let’s bring out the bowls to fill with soup, bread and – of course – pasta. Classic comfort food at its best. Now, if you’re going to make yourself a bowl of happiness, what could possibly be better than a steaming helping of our scintillating Prawn and Chilli Pasta? We’ll answer that: nothing is better. Here’s a step-by-step guide to perfecting one of the Fig Tree’s absolute winners.

Ingredients

The star of this dish (aside from the prawns, of course) is the marvellous prawn and chilli paste. Here’s what you’ll need to recreate the magic in your kitchen:

  • 180ml cooking cream
  • 5g fine salt
  • 60g Tomato Pronto (or, you may use tomato and onion mix)
  • 20g Parmesan powder
  • 10g crushed garlic
  • 5g green chilli
  • 20g onions
  • 15g Hondashi spice
  • 300g prawns (usually between 16 and 20)
  • 20g butter
  • 5g basil pesto
  • And, of course, 120g of pasta. At the Fig Tree, we use streams of luscious linguine. You’re welcome to use the pasta of your choice, as long as it’s boiled al dente.

Let’s cook!

  1. Clean and devein your prawns. Set aside.
  2. Gently braise the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are translucent. Watch this carefully, so you do not burn the garlic. This will result in a bitter, unpleasant taste.
  3. Add your prawns and let this cook for between five and six minutes.
  4. Add the Pronto, or tomato and onion mix; whichever you are using. If you are unable to get your hands on either, then make a simple Napolitano sauce with crushed tomatoes and onion braised with garlic.
  5. As you see the mixture begin to sizzle, add the cooking cream, and let it cook slowly for five to 10 minutes.
  6. Now, add the crushed chilli according to taste. (We like it spicy!)
  7. Chef’s note: the secret to the great taste of our Prawn & Chilli Pasta is the Hondashi spice, a Japanese ingredient which our procurement department gets shipped in. You may substitute this with a dash of fish spice.
  8. At this stage, add your pasta (boiled al dente) into the basil pesto and toss to coat lightly.
  9. Then, combine the pasta and the sauce and simmer for five minutes.
  10. You are now ready to plate and enjoy! Though, we won’t judge you for eating it straight out of the pan…it’s that good.
  11. We usually serve with crushed garlic, grated Parmesan, and crushed chilli.