Rustic Ginger Shrimp Masala

DD2 loves shrimp in any form and she always orders that while going to restaurants and the rest of us enjoy it as well. Most restaurants cook the gravy or the curry separately and add in the chicken, fish or shrimp later, even in high end restaurants at least that's what I think they do based on the taste. Well anyway while chicken curry cooked this way does not taste as good for shrimp this kind of cooking works perfectly.

It takes not more than 5-6 minutes max to cook shrimp and if they are cooked longer than they tend to become rubbery and not so good. So the bit about the restaurant way of cooking is to inform that their method works perfectly for shrimp recipes methinks while chicken curries give the feeling that we are eating old curry.



So for shrimp curries get the sauce to almost the final stage of cooking before you add the shrimp. This method works perfectly for me to keep the shrimp from getting rubbery and tough.

Keep the onions, ginger and garlic ready. In a pan heat oil and add the seasonings.
Add the curry leaves followed by the onions. Saute the onions till they start to turn brown.
Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a minute. Add in the spice powders and mix.
Now add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes become mushy. Continue to cook till the desired level of thickness is reached and oil comes out of the sides.
Add in the shrimp and cook for another 4-5 minutes till the shrimp is cooked.

Rustic Ginger Shrimp Masala
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 15-20 medium sized shrimp
2. 1/2 cup of chopped red onions
3. 1/2 tbsp of grated fresh ginger
4. 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
5. 1/4 - 1/2 cup of finely chopped tomatoes*
6. 2 tsp of turmeric powder
7. 2 tsp of chili powder
8. 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
9. 1 tsp of pepper powder
10. seasonings: mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fennel seeds, 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves
11. salt to taste
12. 2-3 tsp of oil
13. Note:keep the tomatoes to the lower side if you want to keep it on the dry side.

Method

1. Heat a wide mouthed pan and heat the oil and add in the mustard seeds and fennel seeds and when the mustard seeds stat to pop add in the curry leaves.
2. Add in the onions and saute till it starts to turn brown, at this point add in the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute, be careful not to burn.
3. Add in all the powders and mix, now add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes become mushy.
4. Add salt and let the tomatoes cook till you desired dryness level is reached. you will see oil leaving the sides.
5. Add in the shrimp and cook for 4-5 minutes more till the shrimp has become pink and curled up. Add more curry leaves and turn of the heat immediately.

Serve with steamed rice.

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Shrimp Bruschetta

We went to this restaurant for DD2's basketball end of party. The restaurant chosen for this kinds of events are usually tolerant of noise, crowd and the trash the kids seems to generate. This all but ensures that pizza is the star and the rest of the food is usually not top notch but bearable. That night couldn't stand one more slice of pizza so I settled on one of the dinner specials for that day Bruschetta Shrimp. Boy was I surprised?

It tasted much better than I expected and I was glad I ordered it and I could not wait to try it out for myself but with a bit more spice kick. Needless to say it was a big hit.

I used baguette but made the mistake of buying slightly thin ones. A slightly broader baguette will be good for holding a bit more of the topping. The cheese makes a big difference, so use one that you like and is gooey. I do not like raw onion so I soak it in lime juice to take the pungency away. This is also purely optional.

We had them for lunch on a weekend but these are perfect for a snack or even a light dinner.

Recipe in pictures,

Clean the shrimp and chop into pieces. Prepare the shallots by squeezing lime and adding the chopped jalapenos.
Get the tomatoes ready and cook the shrimp with chili powder and salt.
Slice the bread and brush it with olive oil and toast it in a 400F toaster oven on both sides. Once toasted place the sliced cheese on the bread and put it back in the oven to melt.
Place some pesto on the cheese bread.
Add onions and tomatoes on the cheese and is ready to serve.

Serve it as an appetizer or like we did have it as a meal.

Shrimp Bruschetta
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 Baguette
2. olive oil for brushing
3. 1 cup of chopped shallots or red onion
4. juice from one lime (optional)
5. about 2 cups of finely chopped tomatoes
6. 2 tbsp of finely chopped jalapeno peppers
7. mozzarella cheese
8. Sun dried tomato pesto (optional)
For the Shrimp
9. 1/2 lb of shrimp
10. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
11. 1/2 tbsp chili powder
12. salt to taste
13. 1 tsp of oil

Method

1. Squeeze the lime juice into the chopped shallots or onions and set it aside for couple of hours. Add in the chopped jalapenos. If you are not using lime juice just added the chopped jalapenos to the onions and set it aside.
2. Wash and shell the shrimp and chop into small pieces. Wash with turmeric powder and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saute pan and when hot add the shrimp pieces. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add in the salt and chili powder and saute for 4-5 minutes till the shrimp is fully cooked. Set aside.
4. Cut the baguette diagonally into thin slices. Brush with olive oil and bake in the toaster oven at 400F on both sides for about 4 minutes each.
5. Slice the mozzarella cheese as thick or thin as you like and place on the toasted bread and again bake in the 400F oven till it melts.
6. Place a bit of the pesto, onions, shrimp and tomatoes on the cheese topped bread and enjoy them while still warm.

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Spicy Pineapple Shrimp - Srilankan style

SriLanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India - cooks all use pretty much the same spices and follow more or less the same cooking methods but the tastes are usually very different. Shrimp is a favorite around our house and specifically the shrimp stir fry my SriLankan friend makes is something that is enjoyed by all of us. Spicy and sour at the same time it is delicious. While the spices and ingredients are almost the same as I use but the method is slightly different.

So I set out to cook shrimp the way my friend makes it. She normally does not add pineapple but what can I say, pineapple and shrimp are a match made in heaven. I had some fresh pineapple and I had just finished cutting it and could not resist adding it to the dish.

You might have read the latest US government guidelines on nutrition which is very different from the past 40 years where cholesterol and fat were the villains. The shocking news is that foods high in cholesterol does not increase the cholesterol in blood or put you in risk for heart disease. So all of you who remove the yellow from the egg, no need to do that anymore :) Read the full article here.

While the science on nutrition is evolving and the villain in the story keeps changing, there is no need for us throw our hands up. We all instinctively know that too much of anything is not a good thing. A diet that includes a variety of foods and if the majority of the nutrients come from vegetables and also include whole grains is perhaps the best that we can do for ourselves.

But today we will celebrate some cholesterol heavy shrimp with some vegetables and fruit.

Toss the shrimp with the chili paste and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and cook the shrimp in high heat for 2-3 minutes and set aside.
Remove the shrimp and add a bit more oil to the pan and add the onions and white parts of the green onion and saute till they start to turn brown.
Add the ginger, garlic and salt and saute for 2-3 minutes followed by the diced bell pepper and green parts of the green onion.
When the bell pepper has been cooked enough, add the vinegar, chili powder, coriander and cumin powders. Mix well.
Add the shrimp and 2 tbsp of water if required. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
Toss in the pineapple and turn off the heat.

Spicy Pineapple Shrimp
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:20 - 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 20 medium sized shrimp wash and pat dry to remove all moisture
2. 1 red bell pepper seeds removed and diced to about 1 inch pieces
3. 8-10 stalks of green onions, root trimmed, green stalks cut into 1 inch pieces and the white sliced smaller
4. 1/4 cup of red onion cut into moons
5. 2 tsp of grated ginger
6. 1 tbsp grated garlic
7. 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or any clear vinegar) if required
8. 1 tsp chili paste (I used harissa)
9. 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
10. 2 tsp coriander powder + 1/2 tsp cumin powder
11. 1 cup of diced pineapples
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Toss the shrimp with the chili paste and set aside for 5-10 minutes while you get the other ingredients ready.
2. Heat a wok or wide mouthed pan and add half the oil and when hot add the shrimp and cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes till it just starts to turn slightly white and the tails start to curl. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the rest of the oil and add the sliced onions and the white part of the green onion, saute till it gets browned a bit. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute more along with salt.
4. Add the bell pepper and the green onions and cook for about 4-5 minutes till the pepper is cooked (see note:).
5. Add the vinegar if adding and then the powders, chili, coriander and cumin. Mix it in and add the shrimp.
6. Add a couple tbsp of water if you want to get a bit more gravy. Cook for about 5 minutes more in low flame, add the pineapples.
7. Give a good toss and turn off the heat.
8. Note: I like the bell pepper to be fully cooked so I cook it a little longer. If you like it on the raw side cook it a few minutes less.

Serve with rice. We had them with millets.

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Chow mein - Vegetables and Shrimp Asian style stir fried noodles

You always need a fool proof recipe for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon or brunch. I am sure a lot of you already have one if you don't I urge you to consider this one. These stir fried noodles or fried rice provide the medium to be as creative as you want.

The Chili Paste or Sauce

There is only one ingredient I think that is essential for any Asian style stir fried noodles. I call it Asian because it has elements from Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese stir fries.

The essential ingredient is a good chili paste. I prefer the Thai style ones whose ingredients are chilies obviously, garlic, ginger in oil. Some are mind numbingly spicy and the others not so much. Of late I have also been trying chili pastes with dried or fried anchovies along with garlic, ginger and black beans. You can have your pick in any Asian grocery stores. As for me I have never come across a chili paste that I didn't like. These days even the regular grocery stores in my area have a good variety of chili pastes and sauces to choose from.

clockwise - sriracha sauce, fried chili paste, chili paste with anchovies

Before I forget Sriracha chili sauce is also a good thing to have on hand to spicy up soups, noodles and pretty much anything.

But you know the best is perhaps home made and Manisha, Indian Food Rocks has a very good recipe which I got to try one of these days. Let me know if any of you try this recipe. Of all the chili pastes you can buy in the store I bet nothing beats home made.

Next the noodles, I like this because this was the one recommended by a Burmese baby sitter that DD2 used to have. They are the chow mein stir fried noodles with a slightly yellow tinge. If you want to use the soba noodles go ahead and use those too I am sure they will taste fine.

I like to use as many vegetables as possible. My favorites in a stir fry are snow peas, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and baby corn. In a pinch green beans come in handy. I add shrimp because the kids like them. To go totally vegetarian skip all the fish related items in the recipe.

One important thing to remember is to have all the ingredients handy so you do not let anything sit in the stove for too long. If they do they lose the crunch and become soggy.

Vegetables and Shrimp Asian Stir fried noodles
Ingredients

1. 6 oz pack of chowmein stir fry noodles or any noodles of choice
2. 12-16 medium or small sized shrimp
3. 3 eggs
4. 2 carrots cuts into thin strips
5. 1 1/2 cups of shredded cabbage a bit chunky
6. 2 cups of snow peas
7. 1 green onion ends cut and chopped
8. 1 cup of sliced onions
9. 3 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
10. 1 tbsp of grated ginger
11. a few stalk of coriander leaves (optional)
12. 2 tbsp of crushed peanuts (optional)
13. 1 tbsp of chili paste (I used 2 kinds)
14. 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
15. 1 tsp fish sauce (purely optional)
16. 2 tsp of Sriracha sauce
17. 1 tsp pepper powder
18. a pinch of turmeric powder
19. salt to taste
20. 1 tsp of oil

Method

1. Marinate the shrimp with the turmeric powder, a bit of the chili paste and salt for about 30 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper powder and make thick omelet (in a separate pan) and cut into strips and set aside.
3. In a wok heat the oil and saute the onions, green onions, garlic and ginger.
4. Add in the shrimp and do a quick stir fry and fish out the shrimp and set them aside. Alternatively the shrimp can be fried separately.
5. Now to the onions add the carrots, snow peas and cabbage and stir fry on high heat for about 6-8 minutes. I like the vegetables to be cooked but still crunchy. Depending on how you like them reduce/increase cooking times.
6. While the vegetables are cooking get the noodles cooked and ready.
7. When the vegetables are almost done add in the coriander leaves, chili paste (not the sriracha), soy sauce and fish sauce and let it heat through for a couple of minutes.
8. Add in the noodles and toss them together. Check for salt and heat and add the sriracha paste only if you need more heat.
9. Finally add the cooked shrimp, omelet strips and toss together.

Serve with wedges of lime and crushed peanuts on top.