I love curry and I love shrimp--simple enough reason to throw this dish together. It's hearty, flavourful, and visually enticing.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb extra large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or less for those sensitive to spice and heat)
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
For the curry sauce:
1 TBS coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
14 oz diced tomatoes (best if fresh, otherwise, canned tomatoes will do)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp curry paste (I used yellow curry paste for this dish)
14 oz unsweetened coconut milk
1 TBS crushed, dried kaffir lime leaves (add this at the very end and let cook for 5 more minutes before serving)
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
With the shrimp thawed and cleaned, toss it in a bowl with the lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and black pepper and set aside to marinate for at least 10 mins in the fridge.
In a big skillet over medium-high heat, heat up the coconut oil and cook the onions until they're soft and fragrant (give or take 7 minutes). When it's soft, add the ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric, curry paste, and curry powder and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes (or until they've broken down and released more of their juice). Add the coconut milk, bring it to a light boil.
Add your shrimp and then reduce heat and simmer for about 7-10 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked through but not rubbery. Season with salt and pepper. At this point, add the basil and kaffir lime leaves and stir well to marry all the flavours together. If you do not have kaffir lime leaves, that's fine. I just love the extra zing it adds to the dish. It makes it really vibrant, fresh, and ties all the flavours together for a cohesive and savoury dish.
I served this with a platter of roti paratha but you can use any starch or side you prefer. Garlic bread, naan, flat bread, pita, rice--whatever you want. I promise you, it'll work.