Warm prawn and lemongrass salad

Training: Body Pump

Oh my! Is it really Thursday already?? How this week has flown. Time for some Mystery Box inspiration I think!!

Tonight's Mystery Box was quite the exotic one....

Lemongrass!

Did you know? Lemongrass is both a culinary and medicinal herb, used widely in Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. It's other popular name is citronella - the common scent found in candles, perfumes and soaps.

While I had no yearning to make a citronella candle this evening, I did have the desire to create a warm salad using these vermicelli noodles I had in the pantry.

I started by finely chopping the lemongrass...

And added it to my mortar and pestle along with chilli, ginger and a splash of sunflower oil.

Roughly crushed to form a paste, then poured over prawns and allowed to marinate for 1 hour.

Sautéed with a handful of bean sprouts and fresh coriander for a few minutes until warm.

Then it was time to layer. Spinach..

Vermicelli noodles...

Vegetables: carrots, zucchini, capsicum.

Topped with the lemongrass prawns and coriander.

All together now.

If you are looking for a light and fresh salad, this is the one for you.

The lemongrass imparted a nice citrus flavour to the prawns, without being overpowering.

Healthy..

Easy...

 

And aside from the marinating time, on the table in under 15 minutes!

 

Oh and not to mention pretty :)

Warm prawn and lemongrass salad (serves 2)

This is a light salad, perfect for those balmy summer evenings. The lemongrass, chilli and coriander work together to create a tasty dressing for the prawns, without being overpowering. Aside from the marinating time, you can have this dish on the table in under 15 minutes!

• 1 serving vermicelli noodles, cooked according to packet directions and drained
• 10-12 prawns, shelled & tails intact*
• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tbs sunflower oil
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 red capsicum, finely sliced
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• Handful fresh coriander leaves, finely sliced
• 1 cup beansprouts

1. Crush the lemongrass, chilli, ginger and oil together in a mortar and pestle until you have a paste.
2. Pour over the prawns, cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Heat a non stick pan over a high heat. Sautee prawns, beansprouts and coriander for a couple minutes or until the prawns have cooked through.
4. Divide spinach among serving bowls. Top with vermicelli noodles, sliced vegetables and prawns.

* I used frozen prawns that I had defrosted in the fridge overnight.

What about you? What is your favourite way to use lemongrass?

Happy Baking :)