This luscious recipe came from Raghavan Iyer's Indian Home Cooking, published by Betty Crocker in 2001.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: coconut milk, kerala, shrimp
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1poundextra-large peeled and deveined shrimp
½teaspoonsea saltplus more as needed
113.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
6 to 8medium cloves garlic,coarsely chopped
4Thai,serrano, or cayenne chiles, roughly chopped
1tablespoongarbanzo bean flourbesan
¼teaspoonground turmeric
1tablespoonneutral oil or virgin coconut oil
1teaspoonblack,brown, or yellow mustard seed
1cupfinely chopped red onion
½cupgrated ripe tomato(use the largest hold on a box grater)
12 to 15curry leaves,or ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
Lightly salt the shrimp to refresh, then rinse and set aside to drain well.
To make the sauce, use a blender or hand-held blender. Whirl together ¼ coconut milk with the garlic, chiles, garbanzo bean flour, and turmeric. Aim for a smooth mixture. Add the remaining coconut milk and blend to combine well. Keep by the stove.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil and mustard seeds over medium high. When the seeds start popping, cover to shield yourself. When the popping stops, uncover and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion begins browning.
Pour in the coconut milk mixture. Then add the tomato and curry leaves (or cilantro). Bring to a brisk simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, to remove some of the raw garlic qualities. Add the shrimp, lower the heat, and cook for a few minutes until firm and curled into a nice “C” shape. If you fear the sauce reducing too much, partially cover the skillet, during cooking.
Let rest for 10 minutes to compose flavors before serving.