Shrimp gets transformed in this fragrant stew laced with Indian pantry essentials like cardamom, allspice, curry and cinnamon. Deepen the flavors with fresh coriander and lime juice and serve over basmati rice.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | about 4 to 6 main course servings |
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic
- One 3-inch long piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon whole cloves
- 10 cardamom pods
- 8 whole allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 jalapeno, or more to taste
- 1/2 cup whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- Basmati Rice
Instructions
- In a small food processor (mini-chopper), combine the garlic and ginger and puree into a paste. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the cloves, cardamom, allspice, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant and the cinnamon stick unfurls, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic-ginger paste, curry powder, and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato, coconut milk, and cook, stirring, until the oil separates from the sauce and there is a distinctive frying sound as the sauce begin to “refry”, about 7 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, for about 1 minute more. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened, about 6 minutes. Add shrimp, cover, and bring to a simmer and cook until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with rice.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 216 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 24 g |
| Cholesterol | 183 mg |
| Sodium | 638 mg |
Reviews
This is a go-to recipe for our family. We have an Indian market a 15 minute drive from us we go to like twice a year and we always make sure we have all the ingredients to make this dish. (Frankly, we’re more likely to have the Indian spices in a drawer, than the shrimp in the freezer!). Sautéing spices is key for depth of flavor (I do more like a minute than 30 seconds, but you have to be careful not to burn them). Thumbs up!
Cardamon Pods ? Coriander Leaves ?.. Lot of work for a very bland taste
Delicious! This had such a complex taste, we really enjoyed it.
This is a wonderful dish. I’ve never made anything like it before but it was a huge hit. After reading other reviewers suggestions I used a full cup of tomatoes with juice, a full cup of coconut milk and no water. I used about ¾ of a jalapeno and it wasn’t very spicy. I might try using a whole one. I couldn’t find cardamom pods or coriander leaves. I found some ground cardamom so I used a teaspoon of that instead of the pods. This is a restaurant quality dish and it doesn’t take long to prepare. I highly recommend it.
cardomon pods where would i find this ?
This was absolutely delicious. I toasted all of the whole spices in a DRY pot, then ground all except the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. I added this spice mix in after the onion cooked for a couple minutes. Only other changes were the suggested changes of entire can of the diced tomatoes and an entire can of coconut milk – I also used light coconut milk, and only enough water to keep the spices from burning during the initial cooking process, about 1/2 c. I also salted to taste. The finished product is absolutely gorgeous and I can’t believe how easy it was. Just prep everything ahead and you’ll have this dish finished almost as fast as the rice can cook.
One of my favorite curries EVER! And I’m from India, so it takes a lot for me to say that! I agree with the others, it’s a bit too much water – the idea of substituting the water with extra tomatoes and coconut milk is a great one. In terms of the whole spices…as an Indian, I can tell you that it’s completely traditional. Food is rustic and wholesome in the south and southeast Asian countries, so not a whole lot of fuss goes into presentation. You could try to fish them out or strain the curry, but that seems rather time-consuming and silly to me. My advice is to just always warn your dinner guests – I make sure that everyone knows that if they feel something hard, spit it out. I’ve never had any complaints!
This is my favorite shrimp curry recipe in the world.. The spices go so well together & the dish bursts with flavors.. The key is to try & get a hold of all the required spices and follow the cooking instructions and timing. The only parts I modify is the amount of water, as I prefer it less watery, as well as the amount if salt. Otherwise, perfect recipe!
Yummy, though I’ll try the suggestion of more coconut milk..I didn’t find it watery, but I think more heat and more coconut flavor would be a plus. Did no one else have problems with all the whole spices in there? It doesn’t say to remove them so I was trying to pick them out at the end..haven’t done this sort of cooking before so maybe I missed something.
I’ve made this delicious recipe 3-4 times and have these suggestions:
1. Definitely too much water. Skip the water and use a whole can of diced tomatoes and a whole can of coconut milk instead.
2. The cinnamon is so nice and gets overpowered by the other flavors. Use two sticks of cinnamon and maybe ease up on the cloves and allspice.
3. I agree with others that this is not a very hot curry. A whole jalapeno helps and cayenne pepper can be added at the end for individual preference.
4. We don’t really like shrimp and used chicken instead. We added it about 5 minutes after adding the tomato and coconut milk.
5. Use half the salt.
Hope this helps :
1. Definitely too much water. Skip the water and use a whole can of diced tomatoes and a whole can of coconut milk instead.
2. The cinnamon is so nice and gets overpowered by the other flavors. Use two sticks of cinnamon and maybe ease up on the cloves and allspice.
3. I agree with others that this is not a very hot curry. A whole jalapeno helps and cayenne pepper can be added at the end for individual preference.
4. We don’t really like shrimp and used chicken instead. We added it about 5 minutes after adding the tomato and coconut milk.
5. Use half the salt.
Hope this helps :