We are really enjoying seafood here; not too frequently, but much more than when we lived in Denver. While discussing our menu for this week, we happened upon this curry recipe from Madhur Jaffrey, our FAVORITE Indian cook. Despite the hot chili and cayenne in it, the masala was not very hot and was EXTREMELY flavorful and mild.
Funny side note. I got a serrano pepper at the market today, but we couldn't find it when it was time to make dinner. So Mrs. Mc insisted on going to the store for another saying it seemed to be an integral part of the recipe this time rather than a fire enhancer. And it definitely was. It was funny when she walked up to the cashier and presented her single pepper to him. He laughed and said that was the smallest buy he'd seen, and she replied that she planned to pay for it with all pennies. 12 cents later, pepper in hand, she arrived home chuckling about getting rid of excess pennies.
3/4 pound Zucchini
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 pound peeled, deveined shrimp (fresh or frozen but dry)
3 Tbl Coconut Oil (that's what we used)
6 cloves Garlic (finely diced)
1 cup Cilantro (finely chopped)
1 hot green chili (again finely chopped)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 small canned tomatoes (finely chopped) plus 1/2 cup liquid from can
1 tsp peeled, very finely grated fresh ginger
1 Tbl lemon juice
Scrub the zucchini and trim them. Now cut them into 4 slices lengthwise. Cut each slice, lengthwise, into 4 long strops. Cut the strips into thirds, crosswise. Put the zucchinis in bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt over the pieces, and toss to mix and set aside for 30-40 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Put the shrimp on paper towels and dry them off as well.
Put the oil in a wide pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the chopped garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic pieces turn a medium-brown color. Put in the zucchinis, cilantro, green chili, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes and their liquid, ginger, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tsp salt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and stir them in. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 3 minutes.
Uncover, turn the heat to medium and boil away the liquid, if there is any, so that you have a thick sauce. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
