The Recipe:
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1 med. onion, cut into strips
1/4 tsp. ground fenugreek
3/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. curry powder
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. tumeric
3/4 tsp. salt
1 hot chile pepper, seeded, ribs removed, & diced finely
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 lb shrimp OR 1 head cauliflower and 1/2 cup frozen peas OR fill-in-your-own
Heat oil in large saucepan over med-hi heat. Add mustard seeds &; onion; saute 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, curry, black pepper, & fenugreek; stir 30 sec. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend, longer if you can.
Shrimp: Bring sauce up to boil; add peeled, deveined shrimp & cook 2 min.
Cauliflower: Bring sauce up to boil; add cauliflower florets. Simmer until cooked through, maybe 5-8 minutes, then throw in the peas for 1 minute.
Serve both options over hot basmati rice. Feeds 4 for dinner with some leftovers for lunch tomorrow. If using just the shrimp, there will be a lot of extra sauce.
The Story:
I've been on an Indian food kick for, oh, maybe two years now. I take out Indian cookbooks from the library obsessively and make all sorts of exotic dishes. I found a recipe for a Shrimp coconut curry in one book, but I didn't have half of the ingredients, so I shut the book and made up my own. This is the result.
Now my husband has decided he's lost his taste for shrimp, but will eat it occasionally. I was going to make this one day with some steamed cauliflower on the side (sprinkled with a little Garam Masala- yum!) but the shrimp was still in the freezer. I asked the family if they'd prefer I try to make the dish with the cauliflower instead of the shrimp and got a resounding "Yes!" So, I rarely make any shrimp any more. I bet this would be good with any good classic Indian combo or mix of vegetables like boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, maybe some spinach- the possiblities are endless.
I tried this with low-fat coconut milk once and it just seemed bland to me, but it's your choice.
3 comments:
Seems to me this would be good also with chunks of any mild white fish.
Does your family like chick peas?
Yes, yes we do. I have a recipe for a Chickpea Vindaloo that I love, but I shouldn't put it up here because it's from a book (High-flavor low-fat Vegetarian, by Steven Rachlien.)
Do you have one you love to share?
Made it again last night and I just want to say- make sure it's salted enough. I used a ton of fresh green beans as well as the cauliflower, and it needed some extra salt.
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