These creamy vadouvan prawns came about because I had a jar of freshly made vadouvan spice blend sitting on the worktop at Casa Adora and a bag of prawns in the fridge. It took about ten minutes from start to finish, and it was, frankly, magnificent. Creamy vadouvan prawns have become one of those dishes I'll be cooking on repeat – in the campervan, at home, wherever there's a hob and a small skillet.

Vadouvan is a French-Indian spice blend that originated in Puducherry, the former French colony on the southeastern coast of India. It's milder and sweeter than most curry powders, with a distinctive savoury warmth from dried shallots, garlic, and curry leaves. If you haven't made it yet, the recipe is here: Vadouvan Spice Blend — A French-Indian Spice from Casa Adora.

Why Vadouvan Works So Well with Prawns

Coconut cream softens vadouvan's aromatics and gives you a glossy, spoon-coating sauce. Fish sauce adds umami that keeps the dish savoury rather than sweet. Lemon lifts everything so it doesn't feel heavy. The result is a sauce that tastes like it took considerably longer than it did.

The key technique is blooming the spice in butter and oil before adding anything else. Thirty seconds over medium heat transforms the blend — the kitchen fills with something between a French kitchen and a South Indian one, which is exactly the point.

What You'll Need

Serves 2 as a starter or 1 as a generous main.

• 150–180 g cooked prawns, patted dry
• 1 tbsp butter (or ghee)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1–1½ tsp vadouvan spice blend
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped (optional but lovely)
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 100 ml organic coconut cream
• 1–2 tsp fish sauce (start with 1, adjust to taste)
• Juice of ¼ lemon
• Salt to taste
• Optional: chopped coriander or parsley

How to Make It

1. Warm a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil.
2. Add the shallot and soften for 1–2 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and vadouvan spice blend, blooming the spices for 20–30 seconds until fragrant.
4. Stir in the coconut cream and let it gently simmer for 1 minute.
5. Add the fish sauce and taste — it should round out the sweetness of the coconut without becoming fishy.
6. Add the prawns and warm through on low heat for 1 minute. Don't cook them further — they're already cooked and you're just warming them through.
7. Finish with lemon juice and adjust salt.
8. Serve immediately over basmati rice.

Serve these creamy vadouvan prawns immediately over basmati rice.

Why These Creamy Vadouvan Prawns Work

• Coconut cream softens the vadouvan aromatics and gives a glossy, spoon-coating sauce
• Fish sauce adds umami depth that keeps the dish savoury rather than sweet
• Lemon lifts everything so it doesn't feel heavy or rich

Optional Twists

Add a handful of spinach to wilt in the sauce just before the prawns go in. Or stir in half a teaspoon of tomato paste for a deeper, French-leaning warmth. Both work.

This recipe is part of my Fish & Seafood collection. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.