
I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa Eustace recently who really is one of those people I wish I were more like. Beautiful, kind, environmentally conscience, mostly vegetarian. She is one of the founding members of our very own Eco-Pel, which has organized groups of people (myself included) to clean up garbage around Pelham. Eco-Pel is an asset to our community as they continue to look for and implement ways to reduce waste and recycle. Melissa has three towheaded boys and a ginger golden retriever named C.C. Having grown up in DC and the Bahamas and then going to college in Montreal, Melissa has acquired an eclectic palate so when we decided to cook together, I brought out my curry recipe.
Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and grated or minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup puréed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- pinch ground turmeric
- pinch garam masala
- pinch ground cayenne pepper (more if you like heat)
- pinch cinnamon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt or sour cream (optional)
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled, cleaned, deveined, tails removed (can substitute with tofu or cubed chicken breast)
- Basmati rice, brown basmati works especially well
- Chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro (optional)
Directions
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat and add onions. Cook slowly, until they are translucent and almost caramelized. If they are cooking too quickly, lower the heat.
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a few more minutes, make sure the ginger is soft but do not burn the garlic.
- Add the tomato paste and stir for a few seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the yogurt or sour cream if using, stir to combine and add the shrimp.
- Let simmer until the shrimp is cooked through, which only will take a few minutes. Taste and if not hot enough for you, add another pinch of cayenne and stir.
- Serve over basmati rice with a side of yogurt or raita. Garnish with shopped parsley or cilantro. I like to serve this with toasted naan bread.