Jhinga curry

[amber]

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder
Leaves from 3 sprigs of cilantro
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 large tomato, chopped
salt to taste
1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup light coconut milk
6 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 cup water
2 to 3 green chiles - chopped

Garnish:
Finely chopped fresh cilantro

Method

• In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium heat.

• Add the mustard seeds; as soon as they crackle add the curry leaves, tomato, ginger, garlic, and green chiles.

• Sauté gently for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft.

• Stir in the shrimp; cook for 5 minutes.

• Add the chile powder, turmeric, and salt; cook for 1 minute.

• Add the coconut milk and water. Let the mixture come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are tender.

• Garnish with the coriander before serving.

Tip:

Pure coconut milk is extremely high in saturated fat. If you decide to use it, do so sparingly to get the flavor minus the fat.

Variations:

If you do not like coconut milk, you can replace it with water.

Serves 4

I have never tried this recipe, but am attempting to make this tonight, but using chicken instead of shrimp.

I have only now realized that after going through the list of ingredients, and purchasing said items, that there is a missing ingredient that was not listed. In the "method" portion it says to add the "curry leaves", to which there was no mention in the list of ingredients. Also it says to use cilantro, but at the end of the recipe it says to add "cardamon" for garnish. I believe these are the same herb, but that should have been clarified. I guess I will have to add some curry powder, in a lesser amount since dry herbs are stronger than fresh.

[GB]

Thanks Amber. This sounds great.

[amber]

I made this recipe yesterday and I have to be honest and tell you all it was awful With all those ingredients it still had no flavor and it tasted nothing like the indian curries my husband used to get in the UK. He said it wasn't yellow enough (tumeric), it wasn't thick enough (probably because of the lite coconut milk), and it didnt have much flavor. I asked for his honest opinion and he gave it to me , but I agree with him, it really had no flavor.

[Yakuta]

Amber you need to change some of the ingredients and the technique and then try it again. There is no onion in your recipe but without that it's very difficult to add body to the curry.

First add oil, once it's very hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and some dried red chillies (whole) about (3). Then add a finely chopped medium onion. Cook the onion until it's brown. Next add garlic and ginger (freshly minced). Next add curry powder (if that's what you are using) or for a better flavor add freshly roasted and ground cumin and corrainder seeds. If you like your curries hot add 1/2 tsp of cayanne and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. Add salt to your liking and finely chopped tomato.

Now cook the mixture (keep a close eye as there is no water and the gravy will burn)until the tomatoes turn into a mush (I normally cover this and allow it to cook in the tomato's own juice). Next add one can of coconut milk and let this gravy cook for 15-20 minutes (without any cover). After 15 minutes add the shrimp, reduce the heat to low and cover and let the gravy simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Cooking the gravy without the shrimp first allow you the opportunity to thicken the gravy without making the shrimp tough. The best technique is to reduce the gravy first and then add the shrimp and simmer it for 15 mins or so until the shrimp are done and they cook super fast.

All the best

[amber]

Originally Posted by Yakuta

Amber you need to change some of the ingredients and the technique and then try it again. There is no onion in your recipe but without that it's very difficult to add body to the curry.

First add oil, once it's very hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and some dried red chillies (whole) about (3). Then add a finely chopped medium onion. Cook the onion until it's brown. Next add garlic and ginger (freshly minced). Next add curry powder (if that's what you are using) or for a better flavor add freshly roasted and ground cumin and corrainder seeds. If you like your curries hot add 1/2 tsp of cayanne and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. Add salt to your liking and finely chopped tomato.

Now cook the mixture (keep a close eye as there is no water and the gravy will burn)until the tomatoes turn into a mush (I normally cover this and allow it to cook in the tomato's own juice). Next add one can of coconut milk and let this gravy cook for 15-20 minutes (without any cover). After 15 minutes add the shrimp, reduce the heat to low and cover and let the gravy simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Cooking the gravy without the shrimp first allow you the opportunity to thicken the gravy without making the shrimp tough. The best technique is to reduce the gravy first and then add the shrimp and simmer it for 15 mins or so until the shrimp are done and they cook super fast.

All the best

Thanks Yakuta! I had to use chicken in this curry because my husband is allergic to shell fish. I cooked the chicken separately then added it to the "gravy". Do you think it's better to use regular coconut milk rather than the lite one? I will add some onions to this next time, I think that will add more flavor and body too as you pointed out. Here's an ironic story, when I went to buy my ingredients, there was an elderly man behind me in the check out line, and he asked if I was making a curry, and I said yes it's my first time trying it. He said to make sure to cook the onions in the gravy to get lots of flavor. This recipe didnt call for onions, but I guess I will be adding them! He makes lots of curries, so I am going to ask him for recipes when I see him again He's a food demonstrator at my local grocery store.

Forgot to mention that I couldnt find curry leaves, so I added about 2 tsp of madras curry powder, was that a mistake? I also didnt add the fresh chilies, but used red cayenne pepper.

[Yakuta]

Hi Amber the key to making authentic curry is to use freshly ground spices. The spice list in Indian cooking is pretty elaborate and can be overwhelming if you are trying to prepare curry for the first time.

Here is what I would recommend:

If you really like Indian food it's good to invest in the following spices - whole cumin seeds, whole corrainder seeds, chilli powder and turmeric. In addition some whole cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cardamom are good to keep as well.

Whole spices will last you for a very long time and you can dry roast them and grind them in the quantity you like. The preground stuff is a total waste of money because you can pretty much toss it out after a month.

As far as curry leaves go they are actually a herb and is sold in leaf form. You can find it in an Indian store in the refrigerator section. They add a flavor that cannot be paralleled. Basically there is no substitute for curry leaves as far as I am concerned.

Curry powder is nothing but a mixture of a lot of different spices concocted for an audience who once in a while have a craving for curry and don't want to store all the gammot of spices in their pantry.

I personally would recommend one of the readymade chicken curry packets (Shaan, Everest etc. makes them) and they are easily found in Indian stores over curry powder (again strictly my preference but I like them a lot better than the Madras curry powder).

Finally in most curries the meat is cooked inside the curry rather than seperately so that the flavors get a chance to mingle. The only exception is Chicken tikka masala and some other dishes where you cook the meat seperate and then add it to a gravy of sorts. So next time try my technique and add the chicken after you add the coconut milk and cook it all together until the chicken is done and the curry thickens and yes it's always best to use the fatty coconut milk (substitutes don't add much flavor). If you want something healthier than skip the coconut milk, increase the onions from one to two add a small can of tomato sauce in place of a fresh large tomato and add 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.

I know it's a long post but hopefully it gives you some pointers.

[amber]

Thanks again Yakuta, that was very helpful