Oh my. THIS.
I’m at a loss for words with this recipe. I threw this together on a whim one night after a particularly long and stressful day; the clock struck 7pm and I was approaching the danger zone of Hangry. I needed something warm, tasty – and preferably healthy – in my belly asap before I resorted to anger-eating an entire frozen pizza (….not that I ever do that. Right?). So, I tossed together a few of my favourite things and, well, magic was born.
It’s funny how the most random moments can bring together the most amazing recipes.
I’ve been eating this for leftovers all week. It’s seriously so good: spicy, sesame couscous topped with sauteed-yet-flavourful garlic spinach and chili garlic prawns. It’s healthy, it comes together in minutes, and it packs a ton of flavour.
The magic ingredient – aside from the sesame oil (how much do we LOVE sesame oil?!) – would have to be the chili garlic sauce. If you have yet to try this magic sauce, do it. It’s from the same makers of Sriracha, and while it packs a similar punch of heat, it’s slightly sweeter and more complex in flavour. I’ve been putting it on everything, from pasta to KD to salads to toast. It’s amazing.
Sure, you can make your own chili garlic sauce (I will try it one day!) but this stuff is so cheap and delicious, it’s almost silly not to have it in your fridge.
The shining star in this recipe is actually the couscous. It’s bold and flavourful and adds a wonderful texture to any dish. I am loving couscous right now for a variety of reasons:
a) it’s lighter and a lot less “heavy” in your tummy (like pasta can be).
b) it’s so versatile! Great warm or cold, in salads or as a side.
c) it’s literally the easiest thing to make. Ever.
d) it soaks up surrounding flavours so well.
Adding sesame oil and a little of the aforementioned chili garlic sauce makes this couscous tangy and slightly spicy with a nutty, aromatic flavour.
I could eat this stuff for days. In fact, I have! It was great for dinner warm and fresh, but maybe even better the next day for lunch at work.
This will definitely be in my regular rotation. But be warned! If you’re not a fan of spice, this may not be for you. You can dial down the amount of chili garlic sauce if you prefer, but the recipe makes it fairly spicy.
| Chili Garlic Prawns on Sauteed Spinach and Sesame Couscous | Print |
- Couscous:
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 cup water
- Pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- .
- 400g large prawns, peeled
- 3 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups packed, fresh spinach
- Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
- To make couscous, bring water and salt to a boil over medium heat. Once water is boiling, remove from heat and stir in couscous. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add in the sesame oil and chili garlic sauce, stirring to coat. Cover; set aside to keep warm.
- In a small bowl, toss together the prawns, garlic sauce, salt, and pepper; set aside.
- Heat sesame oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add garlic, stirring until fragrant (just a few minutes). Be sure not to brown the garlic! Add the spinach to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove skillet from heat and keep stirring the spinach - this way the spinach will wilt but the garlic won't burn. Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.
- In the same skillet, cook the prawns on medium heat, about 3 minutes per side or until no longer translucent.
- Serve couscous topped with garlic spinach and prawns. Top with sesame seeds, if desired.
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