Epic Prawn / Shrimp Curry / Vindaloo of Glory
Are you disappointed by your local curry options?
This delicious and easy curry recipe will surely amaze your friends. It features ginger and garlic cooked together with caramelized onion, tomatoes and curry spice with peeled, uncooked prawns added to the sauce in the last few minutes. You may also augment the sauce with coconut milk and yogurt for extra richness and creaminess. It’s a classic pescatarian recipe that you can prepare quickly and easily.
The curry spice is based on tumeric, cumin, mustard, coriander, fenugreek, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and hot chili pepper.
It’s best served with basmati rice or some sort of Indian flatbread (chapati, roti, naan, etc) as well as a ripe banana and little mango chutney and pickled limes on the side. It pairs well with your favorite beer, gin and tonic, or passion fruit juice with soda water. If you choose beer, I recommend Pacifico, Corona Light, or San Miguel.
Two servings – Preparation time: 30 minutes – Cook/simmer time: 45 minutes
Sauce Base (for Step One):
3 tbsp or more of olive (EVOO), avocado, or your favorite vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 cup finely chopped onion (one medium sized onion)
2 tbsp fresh garlic, pressed or finely chopped (six cloves of garlic)
2 tbsp fresh or frozen ginger root, finely grated or chopped
1 small can (tin) of tomato paste
1 tsp salt (to taste)
Main Curry Spice – Essential Spices – 1 tsp (or more) of each of the following, all finely ground (for Step Two):
cumin seed
coriander seed
peppercorns
ground turmeric
crushed chilis
Optional Tuning Spices (to taste):
1 tsp (or more) of each of the following, all finely ground:
fenugreek
cardamon
¼ tsp (or more) of each of the following, all finely ground:
cloves
cinnamon
nutmeg
Bulk Stewing Ingredients (for Step Three):
2 pounds of chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned (tinned)
1 can of coconut milk (16 oz)
2 cups of plain European style yogurt
Optional vegetables such as cauliflower, zucchini, potato, aubergine, etc.
Seafood/Meat (for Step Four):
1 pound of large raw peeled shrimp – 12 to 15 per pound
Substitute meat: cubed boneless firm white fish (cod, haddock, tilapia, perch, walleye, turbot, etc); cubed boneless chicken, beef or lamb (must be pre-cooked and simmered longer);
Final Ingredients:
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
Procedure
Before cooking, chop the onion, chop or grate the ginger, chop or press the garlic, and grind the spices, all in advance. Also make sure the prawns are thawed, peeled and cleaned in advance.
Step One – The Sauce Base
Heat up the mustard seed and oil in a large saucepan on medium to medium high heat. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chopped onion. Saute the onion until it begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes depending on the heat setting. When the onion starts to darken, turn down the heat by about half. Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking for two minutes. Then add the tomato paste and salt and cook for an additional 2 minutes while stirring to prevent the mixture from catching.
Step Two – Curry Spice
Add all of the ground spices and continue to cook for another five minutes, stirring to prevent the mixture from catching.
Step Three – Bulk Stewing Ingredients
Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium, to return the mixture to a gentle boil, then continue to simmer the sauce, covered, on low heat, for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare 4 cups of basmati rice and perhaps some Indian flat bread – chapati, naan, roti, etc.
After simmering, add additional spice or salt to taste, then add the coconut milk and yogurt, then increase heat to medium to bring the sauce to a full boil.
Step Four – Seafood (or Tofu/Poultry/Meat)
Add the prawns, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on medium heat, then remove from heat and add the lime juice. Serve with basmati rice, Indian flat bread, ripe peeled bananas, mango chutney, pickled limes and beer. Cheers!
Notes:
This recipe is a family favorite that evolved over the last 5 decades, starting from the Trinidad recipe for Shrimp Curry, from “The Cooking of the Caribbean Islands,” by Linda Wolfe, from the Time Life book series, “Foods of the World,” Time Life Books, New York – 1970 edition. https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Caribbean-Islands-Linda-Wolfe/dp/0809400448
Shrimp curry was a family staple when we lived at 9°50’37.5″N and 125°35’48.5″E on a remote island in the Visayan archipelago of the Philippines, far from refrigerated supermakets, but with unlimited access to tropical fruit and local seafood. Local fishermen caught shrimp in a nearby bay fringed by mangrove swamps. An enterprising woman known as the “Shrimp Lady” sold their catch door to door, always fresh, and in the case of shrimp and mangrove crabs, always live.
To simplify the spice preparation, I recommend curry powder from Simply Organic, which includes coriander, turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, cayenne, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, all organic. 2 tbsp should do. https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Organic-Powder-Certified-3-Ounce/dp/B00269PM6K