Red Shrimp and Mango Curry

I've been running a low on cooking inspiration lately, so I thought I'd seek out some new cookbooks. I picked up Nigella Lawson's new Nigella Express cookbook and have been very happy with it. It's perfect for tasty, healthy, quick meals you don't mind making even when it's been a long day, your hungry, exhausted and desperate for dinner. Now. Tonight's experiment was red shrimp and mango curry - I didn't have Thai red curry on hand, but had another curry paste and plenty of red curry powder and it turned out fairly well. It's probably better with the real deal but this was fun and tasty.

one day, the kitchen lighting will be as good as the food made in it...

Red Shrimp and Mango Curry
adapted from Nigella Express

1 scallion, finely sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs curry paste
1 13.5 oz Lite coconut milk
1 c organic chicken stock
2 tsp fish sauce
2 1/2 c sweet potato, cubed
7 oz shrimp
1 c mango
1 tsp lime juice
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Fry the scallion in the oil for a minute then add teh curry paste
Whisk in the coconut milk, stock and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Tip in the sweet potato and simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes until tender. Tumble shrimp into pot and let the sauce come to a boil. Add mango and lime juice and cook for another minute or so until the shrimp are cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve over plain rice.

Tamarind Stir-fried Shrimp w/ jasmine rice

Mr. Pleasant and I, on a whim, decided that instead of going out with Mr. Pleasants' folks - as we had planned - we'd cook in instead. It really turned out to be a fabulously fun evening and I'm glad we went with spontaneity. The stir-fry was delicious - the tamarind didn't stand out as a overt flavor, but my experience with tamarind, limited though it may be, is that it compliments well with a slight sweetness and a tang which lent itself very well to the flavors in this dish. We also added two diced peppers, one green and one red - we threw them in the same time as the shrimp. The colors turned out quite nicely.


Tamarind Stir-Fried Shrimp
adapted from Wok and Stir-Fry by Linda Doeser

2 Tbs tamarind paste
2/3 c boiling water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs chopped onion
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs chicken stock or water
1 Tbs fish sauce
1 dried red chili, chopped
1 lb uncooked shelled shrimp
1 Tbs fried chopped garlic
2 Tbs fried, chopped shallots
2 scallions, chopped to garnish

Put the tamarind paste in a small bowl, pour in boiling water and stir well to break up any lumps. Set aside for 30 minutes. Strain, pushing as much of the juice through as possible. Measure out 6 Tbs of the juice. Heat the oil in a wok and add the chopped onion and fry until golden brown. Add the sugar, stock, fish sauce,dried chillies and the tamarind juice, stirring well until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, garlic and shallot. Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked. Garnish with scallions. Serve over jasmine rice.

Lesson Learned

In spite of the torrential rain, I had lovely evening with Mr. Pleasant and Ms. A. Morgan last night. While Mr. Pleasant's linguine with clam sauce was a winner, Ms. Morgan and my attempt at beer, sun dried tomato and olive quick bread...well, by the end of the evening it was affectionately known as "the doorstop in the trash". What's a culinary adventure without some failure, right?

But, for the success of the night, the recipe follows. Note that it comes from the American Heart Association Cook Book, so don't feel too guilty eating it. Unfortunately, this got gobbled up before any pictures could be taken.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce
from Am. Heart Assn. Cookbook

1/2 c. dry white wine
1 8-oz. bottle clam juice
8 oz. linguine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. flour
2 6.5 oz. cans minced clams, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan over high heat, combine wine and clam juice. Boil, uncovered, until mixture is reduced to 1 1/4 cups. Cook linguine according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and set aside. Pour olive oil into a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in hot clam juice mixture and stir until thickened. Add drained clams and parsley. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until clams are thoroughly heated. Divide pasta into four equal portions. Spoon sauce over pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings