Define spicy in 3 words: Gambas Pil Pil. It’s been 2 months since Panu cooked this deep fried prawns for me, and I can still feel how hot it was as I am writing this post..
BUT, it was tasty, VERY tasty. I am not always the biggest fan of prawns, they really need to be well prepared, and this was a very good case. Especially, the combination of olive oil and butter for deep frying the prawns was just amazing. As Panu was cooking it, I thought to myself, “ok, this will be heavy indeed”. But to my surprise, no, it wasn’t!
With this dish, you HAVE TO have some good bread, like a crunchy fresh baguette, ready. Why? Because one of the best parts is to dip that bread into the sauce.. Ok, I might have eaten just a bit of this dish because of the spice level, but now I started to crave for it!!
And one other thing I loved about Gambas Pil Pil: the colour. The three dishes he cooked that day were all RED as he also mentioned, but this one had the best combination I think: A red sauce, bright, shiny red chilli pepper pieces, and the pinkish-reddish colour of prawns. Lots of texture, lots of light!
So, if you have a strong stomach, try this ASAP!
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Instructions:
(serves 4)
1 package of prawns
Salt and pepper (to taste)
4 red chilli peppers
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup / 1 dl olive oil
30 gr. butter
1 tbsp / 15 ml pimiento (paprika powder)
Soundtrack: Vengo Soundtrack (a film by Tony Gatlif)
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1. Prepare the prawns first. If they are frozen, defrost them. If they need it, peel them. Put some salt and pepper on the ready prawns and put them in the fridge for at least half an hour.
2. Cut chilli peppers and garlics into small pieces.
3. In a frying pan, put olive oil and butter and heat up!
4. When it starts bubbling, add chilli pepper, garlic and paprika powder. Stir frequently.
5. When garlic starts getting soft, add prawns. Fry them altogether for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
6. When ready, put pour it into a ball and get ready it with nice crispy bread.
My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki 