Another shrimp preparation I love (see my Spicy Firecracker Shrimp Recipe), is a light and tangy Coconut Shrimp Curry. Unlike most recipes that are called curry here in the States, this recipe doesn’t use any curry powder. It’s simply flavored instead with garlic, ginger and chili peppers.
You can add any of your favorite vegetables to this curry (I added peas), or you can keep it simple and make it with just shrimp. The vibrant yellow color of the curry comes from using a dash of turmeric powder, which also lends a little flavor too. Finally, the tomato and lime gives the coconut curry some much needed acid that balances out all the flavors.
Coconut Shrimp Curry Recipe
Ingredients:
12-14 large shrimp
Half an onion (or a small shallot)
4 cloves of garlic
1 inch fresh ginger
1 chili pepper
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 Small tomato
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
chives/cilantro for garnish
Method:
– Start by finely mincing the onion, garlic, ginger and chili pepper.
– Once the shrimp is defrosted, marinate it the juice of half a lime, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric.
– In a sauce pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and then toss in the onion. Sautee the onion until it’s soft and translucent.
– Add the minced garlic, ginger and chili pepper and sautee them all together for another minute or two.
– Pour in the whole can of coconut milk and bring it to a simmer on medium-high heat.
– Add some salt and the remaining turmeric powder to the simmering sauce.
– At this point, if you like peas, throw in a handful…gives the curry a fresh green color too. Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently.
– In the meantime, deseed the tomato by cutting it in half and scooping out the seeds. Discard the seeds and dice the tomato into small pieces.
– Add the diced tomato to the coconut sauce. Stir them in.
– Sprinkle some black pepper to sauce for flavor.
– Almost lastly, add the shrimp along with it’s marinating juices to the coconut curry sauce. And squeeze in the last of the lime juice.
– Cook the shrimp for just a couple minutes until they turn pink and turn off the heat. Remember the shrimp will continue to cook in the hot sauce, so try not overcooking them.
– Garnish the coconut shrimp curry with some fresh chives or cilantro and serve with some plain basmati rice. Slurrrp.
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How can you call this a curry when there is no such curry in the dish?! It’s simply a shrimp and yellow-dyed coconut milk stew-like concoction.
Well having lived in India almost my entire life…I am VERY well aware of what a Curry is. There are all kinds of curry and my recipe is most certainly one. Curry is simply a generic term for dish using a combination of spices, fresh or dried. It’s unfortunate that in the West here that it’s become synonymous with the use of “curry-powder” which is only one such spice mix. 98% of the curries in India don’t even use “curry powder” which is known there as “Madras Curry Powder”. Only a small region of India does.
The recipe I posted here is actually inspired by a Fish/seafood curry from Kerala in the South of India called “Moli”. I’d advise you into looking into the actual definition of Curry before making hasty comments on a subject matter you know very little about.
Great reply to that dum dum! Also, this looks to be a fantastic dish that is most certainly a curry in my books. And I live in northern Canada, where I am by no means an expert on anything! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Jacob, I appreciate that! 🙂
Noreen, I will be trying this dish tonight with the only change being brown rice instead of basmati rice. It looks really tasty!
Thanks BeeGaul….hope it turns out delicious and you like it! 🙂
Noreen, it was a big hit! We made a double batch, added some cauliflower and used white pepper. The marinade really enhanced the flavor. This is going into our meal rotation. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Gosh this curry (yes it IS curry) looks yummy. I just discovered your site from another blog and your recipes look great. Is there a particular reason for taking out the tomato seeds? I’ve had my turmeric on the shelf now for about two years… should probably get a new jar! I like the post about adding cauliflower.
Thanks Ruth! I remove the tomato seeds only becauce it waters the curry down a tad bit, and it’s not as asthetically pleasing with the little seeds and bits floating around. But there’s no harm in just adding the tomato seeds and all! 🙂
Thank you so much. I have been trying to make a curry like this since I had one in Chicago a few years ago. 🙂
wow! it really looks appetizing.. i shall try this tomorrow. thanks so much for sharing your recipe! 😀
I have been looking for this recipe since 2012. I printed it out one day, made it, loved it and then lost the recipe somehow. Searching for coconut shrimp curry doesn’t narrow things down at all. hehe. I eventually found it again in google images when a friend of mine asked me for any good recipes involving seafood. Long story short, she’s making this for dinner tomorrow….and I’m invited. Soooo, thanks.
Your recipes look great, I look forward to trying them.
Lovely and simple. You nailed it. Great !!