5 Meals in 5 Hours: Shrimp Curry

I've made this curry recipe several times, but usually with chicken. It was just as delicious with shrimp and a nice change. I first found this recipe in the local newspaper and cut it out, and it's been my favorite curry recipe since then.

Although there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, there isn't a lot of chopping (just the onion and tomatoes, if you're using fresh tomatoes) and there's only one pan. Just make a trip to your local spice shop beforehand, and you're all set.

I'm making 5 meals in 5 hours to avoid the "What's for dinner" question. I'll post one meal each day, in the order I made them. Here's the plan:

1. Savory Pot Roast
2. Shrimp Curry (or you could substitute chicken)
3. Chicken Stir-Fry (or you could substitute tofu)
4. Lavender and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin
5. Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce on Chicken or Pasta

So while the pot roast is cooking, start chopping up the vegetables for the curry.

Here's a quick summary of the steps to make Shrimp Curry:

1. Sauté cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in oil.
2. Sauté onions.
3. Add ginger and garlic.
4. Heat remaining aromatics (turmeric, paprika, cumin powder, and red chili powder).
5. Add water.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Cook shrimp.
8. Garnish with garam malsala and cilantro.

Recipe

adapted from Ishina Distinguished Indian Cuisine

Serves 6

2 pounds shrimp (907 gram bag of 31-40 sized shrimp)
4 or 5 medium-size yellow onions, finely diced
4 or 5 medium-size tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce can, puréed)
4 tablespoons oil
1 1-inch stick cinnamon
4 or 5 cloves
4 or 5 green or black cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 cups water
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, chopped
To Prepare and Eat Now:
Clean shrimp.

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, and then add onion and sauté until golden brown about 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat and add ginger and garlic. Continue cooking 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add turmeric, paprika, cumin powder, and red chili powder. Mix well. Add puréed tomatoes and stir. Cook until oil separates from the spice mix, about 5-10 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Bring to a boil. (If you prefer, you could purée the sauce, but leave some chunks for texture.) Add shrimp and cook until the shrimp is done, about 10 minutes.

Remove cinnamon stick, whole cloves and cardamom before serving.

Sprinkle with garam masala and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rice or naan.

To Freeze:
Make the sauce but omit the shrimp. Recommended freezing time: 4-6 months.

To Prepare After Freezing:
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Heat and serve with cooked shrimp.

Tips:
To save time, use bottled minced garlic and ginger. To save money, mince your own garlic and ginger.

Tasting Notes
There's a complexity to this dish from all the spices. It gives the sauce a distinctive taste that is delicious with shrimp, chicken, or probably tofu.

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Cost: $18.60 ($3.10 per serving)

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Other Curry Recipes
• Rasa Malaysia: Chicken Curry
• Heidi from 101 Cookbooks: Cashew Curry Recipe
• Meeta from What's For Lunch, Honey: Chicken Curry

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