This recipe is probably one of those “inspired from” the 15 or so Philippine cookbooks that I have.  For me, coconut milk goes extremely well with the Philippine’s holy trinity of ginger, garlic and onions, sauteed and blended with a chili pepper to create a gravy  base.  Then I added freshly peeled prawns and spinach leaves.  On top of this, I blame  Shirley, who reminded me about how damn delicious Taba ng Talangka could be, so I added a few spoons of this preserved crab fat to the dish. Now tell me, who can resist this dish with a steaming bowl of rice?

500 grams fresh prawns, peeled

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small knob of peeled ginger, sliced, around 30 grams

1 red chili, seeds removed, chopped

2 tablespoons fish sauce

200 ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons, taba ng talangka (crab fat) – available from Filipino/Asian groceries(optional)

Handful of spinach leaves

Heat the oil and add the onion, fry until translucent, around 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger and red chili and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes and then process in a food processor.

Once done, fry the paste for a few minutes and add the fish sauce and coconut milk.

Allow to simmer for around 15 minutes then add the crab fat.

Add the prawns and cook for around 2 to 3 minutes and then add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted.

Serve over steamed rice, top with some more taba ng talangka (crab roe).