Thai Prawns with pumpkin and sweet basil

2 tablespoon wok oil
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2  tablespoons orange thai curry paste (see recipe below)
200-250 ml coconut milk
250 ml chicken stock (optional)
1 teaspoons thai fish sauce (nam pla)
150-200 grams diced pumpkin
300 grams  prawns
1 teaspoon lime juice

30 grams sweet basil

 Method

Heat the wok oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan, and fry the chopped onions onion for a minute, then add the curry paste.
Whisk in the coconut milk, chicken stock and fish sauce and bring to the boil.
Tip in the pumpkin cubes and simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes, or until tender.
Drain the prawns under running water to remove excess ice and tumble them in to the pan, letting the sauce come back to the boil. When it does, add the lime juice and sweet basil and cook for another minute or so until the prawns are cooked through.
Sprinkle with the chopped red chillies as you serve over plain rice .

Thai Orange Curry Paste

4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

6 lime leaves
4 stalks lemongrass, woody parts removed.
5cm galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
3 yellow chillies or  dried thai chillies
grated zest of 1 lime
2 tsp shrimp paste(roasted)
1 bunch coriander root/lessen on the leaves

3-4 slices of ginger pieces

4 kaffir lime leaves
4 cloves garlic
50g fresh turmeric, peeled
1 tsp  coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cinammon stick
1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp orange juice

Zest of  ½ an orange
1 tsp fish sauce

Hold the shrimp paste with a fork and roast it on a stove .Make sure it is roasted at all sides. In a skillet, dry roast coriander seeds,cumin seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon stick .Place all ingredients in a mixer and grind into a smooth paste by adding oil to it. Keep refrigerated and use as necessary.