Kerala Shrimp Curry

Most of the time, what I make for you guys is a very personal interpretation of a dish. I think of it like my little fantasy, how I’d like to eat a dish regardless of its origin or culture and using ingredients I can get to. I think everyone that loves to cook does this on some level – cooks things the way they like it. But, there are times when I do crave the original! That’s when I research (eating and reading) and try to recreate it from scratch, adjusting the spice level and seasoning where necessary but keeping to the unadulterated tradition as much as possible, which is the case with this Kerala-style shrimp curry.

This is actually a traditional curry I created for Junoon. I did a ton of research and found out that in the south of India, in Kerala, they use this (very hard to come by) ingredient called kodampuli, which is also called Malabar or smoked tamarind. And smoky is right – it’s used as a souring agent and has a tart, smoky, complex quality that I love! That said, if you can’t find it, kokum or regular tamarind also works really well here to create that tart flavor.

People usually think curries are heavy, and they certainly can be. I know I have to be in a mood to eat them. But not so with this one – despite the coconut milk, this curry feels a lot lighter. The flavors are bright and fresh and not overly spiced. There’s heat from the chilies, depth from the curry leaves, and that brightness from the cilantro. I like to sear the shrimp and develop a nice brown on them before putting them into the curry. Some simply fried shallots create a beautiful crunch on top and spooning this over some warm, basmati rice is pure heaven. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Serves 4

4 pieces kodampuli*

3/4 cup boiling water

1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 2.5-inch generous knob of ginger, peeled roughly chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Thai green chili, stemmed

5-7 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons brown mustard seed

1 tsp white cumin seeds

pinch of fennel seeds

10 curry leaves

2-3 dried red chilies

¼ tsp Indian hot chili powder

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp garam masala

1 ½ cans coconut milk

1 ½ tsps palm sugar

squeeze of lemon juice

1 ½ lbs shrimp, cleaned and shelled

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

small handful of cilantro, chopped

fried shallots (optional, as garnish)

grilled lime (optional, as garnish)

Procedure

In a metal or heat safe bowl, pour boiling water over the kodampuli. After 10 minutes, remove one piece from the water. Blend remaining in a blender and strain. Set aside strained liquid and one piece.

To the bowl of a food processor, add the onion, shallot, ginger, garlic, and green chili. Process to a smooth paste.

Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, curry leaves, and dried red chilies. Move around in the pot – it will sputter and pop so be careful! Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the onion paste along with all of the dry spices. Cook until the paste dries up and the onions turn golden brown, stirring to make sure it isn’t sticking too much or burning.

Add the single kodampuli, the strained liquid, the coconut milk, and the palm sugar. Lower heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Squeeze in a bit of lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning here adding salt and freshly ground pepper as necessary.

Dry shrimp and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and sauté shrimp, working in batches if necessary. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, drain of excess oil and then transfer to the pot with the curry.

Add the cilantro to the curry right before serving and remember to remove the hot, dried red chilies so no one eats them! Serve hot, preferably with basmati rice or naan, garnished with fried shallots and a grilled lime.

*Kodampuli is not the easiest to find, so you can substitute kokum or a piece of a tamarind block in its place. You want a relatively tart liquid to flavor the curry.

Quinoa Crusted Shrimp with Chipotle Mayo

It feels like over the last few years, Americans have gotten really smart about the health benefits and cooking of quinoa (and, in reality, about a lot of the ancient grains / foods that are showing up in supermarkets). Quinoa, in particular, has gotten a lot of attention because it’s a complete protein source, high in fiber and minerals and is gluten-free. The “pseudograin” is actually native to the Andes and a big part of the diet out there, so while I was in Peru a few weeks back, I was a bit obsessed with learning traditional quinoa recipes.

I had the opportunity to cook with a few chefs in the Sacred Valley, and they gave me their creative interpretations of the grain – using it in surprisingly delicious, brothy soups, cooking it like a risotto in a dish called “quinotto”, and even sweet, in a dessert that’s not unlike a frozen rice pudding. I too wanted to put my spin on it, so I thought replacing traditional breading for fried shrimp with quinoa would create a healthier (but still super flavorful) option.

And this recipe is almost gluten-free. You can easily replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe with rice flour, and you are good to go. One of the chilies used in Peruvian cooking (the “ajis” as they call it) is aji panca, a dried, smoky chili which I think has a similar flavor profile to the chipotle. I thought a creamy, homemade mayo spiked with chipotle pepper would be the perfect accompaniment to this shrimp. The quinoa crust is nutty, crunchy and satisfying and tastes heavenly with a bit of smoky, spicy mayo….Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

For the shrimp:

½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

¾ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup raw quinoa*

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Olive or vegetable oil, for frying

For the chipotle mayo:

Yields ¾ cup

1 egg yolk

1 garlic clove

½ tsp mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

150 mL olive oil

generous pinch of salt

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

Procedure

Let’s start by quinoa-crusting the shrimp. Set up 3 bowls and a baking sheet with a rack on top. In the first bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour with the salt and all of the ground spices. The second bowl will have the beaten eggs, and the third bowl, the quinoa. For each shrimp, holding by the tail dip them in the flour mixture, eggs, and then quinoa – shaking off excess at each stage. Place on the rack on the baking sheet and set in the fridge while heating the oil.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 375° – 380° F. The key here is that the oil has to be hot enough or the quinoa won’t cook through. It should be crisp but not taste raw. You want to work in batches so the oil temperature doesn’t drop too much – the overall goal is to keep the temperature above 360° F for the duration of cooking. Fry shrimp for 3 minutes and transfer to another rack on a baking sheet. Immediately, season with a bit of salt while it’s hot out of the oil.

For the mayo, in a food processor or a blender, blend together the egg yolk with the garlic clove, mustard, and lemon juice. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until fully incorporated. Add the chipotle and blend until uniform.

Serve shrimp hot with a side of the chipotle mayo.

*I used a combination of red and white quinoa here (and would have used black as well had I found it). You can use whatever variety you have on hand.

Shrimp and Grits

This weekend, I taught a class with the De Gustibus cooking school over at Junoon. I had a blast (!) chatting about spices in our spice room and walking the students through a traditional South Indian curry – which they made by themselves to rave reviews! In any case, one of the students asked me about vadouvan, a mix I wrote about months back and in what dishes I might use it. It put the bug in my brain, and this French-Indian spice blend became my seasoning du jour for some exotic shrimp and grits I whipped up for Sunday brunch.

Now, I’m honestly in favor of blending your own curry powder from spices you have on hand, tailoring to your palate. But vadouvan is a fantastic blend to keep on hand. It has a softer approach to curry, with ingredients like dried shallots, bay leaves and even fennel seeds blended in. There is a warm sweetness to it that I think complements shrimp tremendously, and when you use a bit of butter to cook the shrimp, the pan drippings become a beautiful, fragrant golden sauce.

I know bacon or smoked sausage is traditional in shrimp and grits (not that tradition is reigning here anyway…), but the friend I cooked for is not big on pork. For that reason, I used some grated smoked mozzarella to infuse the creamy grits with that signature smokiness. Using milk and chicken stock give the grits a silkiness and rich flavor. The shrimp need little else besides the vadouvan and a bit of salt, but the shallots and minced jalapeno are great here. Finishing with fresh herbs brings in brightness, and this dish has so much body it could easily be a (super) easy weeknight dinner. The curry notes, sweet shrimp and creamy smoky grits…heavenly. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken stock

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 cup stone ground grits

5 tbsps unsalted butter

1 ½ cups smoked mozzarella, grated

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 ½ tsps vadouvan

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined and minced

Chopped scallions and parsley / cilantro (for garnish)

Procedure

In a saucepan, bring milk and chicken stock up to a boil. Lower to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and whisk in grits. Cover and cook at a low simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add in 3 tablespoons of the butter and the smoked mozzarella, whisking to incorporate fully. Keep covered and warm.

Make sure the shrimp are dry and toss with vadouvan and some salt. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 of olive oil. Add shrimp and cook for a minute or so. Flip shrimp, lower heat to medium-low and add in the shallots and jalapeno, tossing to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve grits hot and spoon shrimp mixture on top, letting some of the pan juices drip on to the grits. Garnish with some chopped scallions and parsley or cilantro.

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