Spicy Shrimp Curry

This shrimp curry has been a regular dish in my home all my life. It is one of my most favorite dishes. Shrimp are simmered in freshly ground spices, ginger garlic and onion. Tamarind adds the extra zing to an already flavor packed dish. Spice lovers can be generous with chili powder, it complements the shrimp very well.

For this recipe I prefer fresh shell on shrimp to frozen ones. Most of my recipes have freshly ground spices. It may seem tedious to many but if you have a good blender, the couple extra minutes you spend to make fresh masala is well worth it.

This is a great dish for family dinners or when you have company, it is sure to draw many praises

Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh shell on shrimp
1 onion coarsely blend
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
Pulp from lemon sized tamarind ball
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

For garam masala:
10 cloves
2 inch cinnamon
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp coriander seeds

For seasoning:
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp fenugreek
1 red chili
Curry leaves

De shell and de vein the shrimp. Clean them thoroughly.

Place shrimp in a saucepan along with 2 tsp of oil, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp salt.

Cook on medium to high flame until the shrimp curl and loose the transparent look. Set it aside.

Grind masala into fine powder, mix it with ginger garlic paste and coarsely blend onion. Set is aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a sauce pan, add seasoning followed by masala ginger garlic and onion. Sauté for 5 to 10 mins until the onion looses its raw smell. Add turmeric, chili powder and salt.

Add the semi cooked shrimp, sauté for few more minutes.

Add tamarind and let it simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the oil separates.

This shrimp curry when eaten with steaming hot rice, each and every bite is a pure joy.

Tips: A tbsp of home made yogurt and tsp of salt can aid you further in cleaning the shrimp.
For grinding the masala start with a clean dry jar, grind dry masala followed by ginger garlic and then onion. The whole process takes just few mintues and you will end up with only one jar to clean. I use sumeet with its smallest jar for this job.

Mirchi Ka Saalan --with Bell Peppers

Mirchi ka saalan is one of the culinary delights evolved in the kitchens of Nizams. It is a great accompaniment to the ever famous hyderabadi biryani.

Peppers simmered in peanut sauce with a touch of sourness from tamarind makes an intriguing dish. The coriander, cumin, sesame and coconut add a vibrant taste and rich texture.



You can choose from the wide array of peppers like Anaheim chili, banana pepper, bell pepper, Fresno pepper, jalapeno pepper, poblano pepper, Serrano pepper depending on how hot you like it.

I used a green and a red bell pepper, the mildest of all. Choose a pepper with thick skin. I recommend jalapenos if you enjoy spicy food. The spice level goes up my multiple notches with jalapenos.

Ingredeints:
2 bellpeppers cut into 1 inch squares
1 onion chopped, sautéed and coarsely ground
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Juice extracted from walnut sized tamarind ball or 1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste

Roast and grind:
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp peanuts
½ tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp dry coconut powder or fresh grated coconut
2 red chilies

For Seasoning:
1 tsp cumin
1 red chili
Curry leaves

Heat oil in a pan, sauté bell peppers with a pinch of salt for two minutes on relatively high heat, stirring constantly. Do not let the peppers wilt or loose color. Remove form pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Mix the ground masala, ground onion and ginger garlic paste.

In the same heated pan now at medium heat add seasoning followed by the mixed paste. Sauté for few mintues. Peanuts tend to stick to the bottom, stir often. Add chili powder, turmeric and salt. Sauté for couple more minutes.

Add tamarind juice or tamarind paste along with half cup water. Bring it to a boil.

Add bell peppers and also water (if required) to get the right consistency. Gravy should not be too thick or too watery.

Let it simmer for 8 to 10 mintues. Remove from heat when the bell peppers are just about cooked. Do not let them get mushy.

Enjoy it with biryani or naan.

Tips: Onions have to be sautéed until they aquire a brown hue. But do not let them burn. While roasting masala remember to add coconut at the end. I grind masala followed by ginger garlic and then onion in the same jar.

Anapakaya Perugu Kura --Bottle Gourd in Yogurt Sauce

I have always been fascinated by yogurt based curries. The rich creamy texture of yogurt with a chili and coconut flavor is an absolute delight. Bottle gourd with its mild taste and high water content, though thought as a bland veggie by many has a great ability to absorb the flavors of spices and other ingredients it is cooked with.

When I came across bottle gourd cooked in yogurt sauce http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2006/07/19/bottle-gourd-in-yogurt-kaalan/ on Indira’s blog I had to try it right away. This turned out to be a perfectly delicious dish with very few ingredients.

Thank You Indira for a wonderful recipe.


Ingredients:
1 small bottle gourd cut into ½ inch cubes or about 2 - 3 cups
1 to 1 ½ cups of yogurt
3 green chilies
2 tbsp of grated coconut
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil

For Seasoning
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
1 red chili
Curry leaves

Grind coconut and green chilies into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add mustard followed by cumin red chilies and curry leaves.

When mustard starts to pop add bottle gourd pieces, sauté for 2 minutes, add turmeric salt and coconut green chili paste.

Sauté for couple more minutes, then add ¼ to ½ cup water and cook covered on medium to low heat.

When the bottle gourd pieces are tender remove from heat and stir in the yogurt.

Let it sit covered for few minutes before serving.

Serve it with hot rice and you are sure to polish your plates.

Tips: I made few adjustments to the quantities of ingredients to suit my taste. I recommend all of you the same, especially with green chilies.