This is one of those recipes that will take you a bit longer to make the first time but will go much quicker the next time. Have all your ingredients ready before starting to cook – the prawns will be ready by the time the rice is done!!
Rice:
¼ cup butter
2 cups long grain rice (Uncle Ben’s recommended)
3 ½ cups chicken stock
2 tsp. salt
In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Stir in rice and cook, stirring, until rice begins to brown and smells “nutty”. Pour in chicken stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer very gently until rice is tender – about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest about 5 more minutes.
Prawns:
2 pounds frozen, deveined, unpeeled prawns – 41 count per pound
½ cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced – or to taste
¼ to ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp. hot sauce – I like Frank’s
1 – 2 tsp. cornstarch
freshly ground black pepper
Thaw prawns in barely lukewarm water until you can easily remove the tails and shells. Remove to a colander to continue thawing.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large frying pan. Add garlic and cook a minute or 2 on medium heat until fragrant – do not brown. Turn heat to medium high, add prawns and 1/4 cup lemon juice then sauté the prawns until they are turning pink. It is not necessary to cook the prawns all the way through – remove to a plate with a slotted spoon leaving all liquids in the frying pan. Add whipping cream and hot sauce. Bring the cream to a boil and reduce by about half. Taste and add additional lemon juice if desired. Mix 1 tsp. cornstarch with a little water and stir into the cream. Bring back to a boil – check consistency and add a little more cornstarch if desired. Stir prawns back into the sauce and heat through. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Serve over the rice with a simple steamed vegetable. The sauce will go very nicely with the vegetable as well.