Curry On A Sunday Afternoon

Jhinga (shrimp) curry

While everyone else is getting their playoffs on, I’m just back from some long trips, and the last thing I want to do is order a pizza or wings and vegetate in front of the baseball game. After all, I’ve been practically eating out for the last month and change and when I finally have a quiet day at home, relaxation to me means cooking. Cooking at home offers a whole universe of possibilities: you can eat exactly what you want, when you want. When you have everything you need in the cupboard, without having to make a trip to the market, that’s just an added bonus.

Well, I stocked up this week, and that 1 pound bag of jumbo Mexican white shrimp I picked at Trader Joe’s for $4.99 is looking rather good. Also, since I haven’t had a real curry in a while my taste buds are definitelty pointing in one direction. Not that my Sri Lankan shrimp curry is not the BOMB, but I want to try something new as well, so I flip through an old standard, Curry Cuisine (yes, the book! I still buy books or check them out from the library). I haven’t had Pakistani food in a minute, so I go to that chapter and lo and behold, there it is, Jhinga (Shrimp) curry.

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb (500 g) raw jumbo or tiger shrimp

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1 medium tomato, peeled and finely chopped

8 oz. (225g) plain Greek-style yoghurt

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground coriander

salt

2 tbsp coarsely chopped green chilies

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

cilantro leaves to garnish

Check, check, check, check. I have everything or a close approximation, so it’s straight down to business. After 30 minutes of chopping, slicing and dicing, I have all the ingredients ready to go, and since cooking time for shrimp is quick, I have manifested a fragrant and spicy meal less than an hour after the idea popped into my head–spicy shrimp curry ala Pakistan with some brown rice, sauteed collard greens and a small salad to accompany it. Simple and thoroughly satisfying. Who said Asian cooking was complicated? The masalla (spice blend) of ginger, garlic, fried onions, tomato, yoghurt and spices is the base of many Indian/Pakistani dishes so once you have mastered an easy dish like this, the rest are not far behind.

 

Oh, the recipe! I almost forgot!:

1) Peel the shrimp leaving the tail section on. Wash, devein and set aside.

2) For the Masalla heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and fry until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato and yogurt and cook for a another few minutes, stirring and mashing up the tomato with a wooden spoon. Add the chili powder, black pepper, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground coriander, and salt to taste.

3) Add the shrimp and cook over moderatly high heat, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Make sure you don’t overcook them. Stir in the green chilies and chopped cilantro and serve hot garnished with Cilantro leaves.

{recipe courtesy of Mahmood Akbar from Curry Cuisine}