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Jump to RecipeThis recipe is a quick and easy version of a favorite restaurant dish. It bursts with flavors, and the spices will ignite all your endorphins, making this excellent choice for Valentine’s Day dinner or a romantic date night. Clean up is minimal as it uses just one pan. There are a few more ingredients than usual for my low-stress cooking style, but these extra ingredients are totally worth it. They don’t overcomplicate the recipe. They add tremendous flavor. However, more ingredients make it even more important to be vigilant in your planning and organization.
This special attention to prepping is known as Mise en Place (pronounced meez ahn plas). Mise en place is a French cooking term that translates to ‘put in place’. Meaning that everything is measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc., before you start cooking. In this recipe, being organized is critical to your success. It also ensures that you enjoy the creative process of making a special dinner.
The fresh ingredients and the Indian spices are what makes this dish so incredibly delicious. As it’s a special occasion, I find them well worth putting on my shopping list. Keep the unused fresh ginger in the freezer for up to six months. It is so much fun to use – I love always having it on-hand. Believe it or not, the best tool to peel fresh ginger is a spoon to gently scrape off the skin. The ginger needs to be minced, which is a culinary term meaning to chop so finely that it “melts” into the dish. You can substitute ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it. The same goes for the garlic. Use fresh if at all possible, and leave the garlic powder as a last resort. Curry is a spice mixture, and the flavors will vary slightly from brand to brand (and region to region). Use whichever you have in the pantry. Turmeric is an essential, mildly-flavored ingredient popular in Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. It’s not expensive and works great in stews, vegetables, and chicken dishes.
I use large (or extra-large) shrimp (31/35per lb) for this recipe. Adjust the cooking time slightly if your shrimp are larger or smaller. I buy frozen shrimp that is deveined but still has the shell and tail. I HATE deveining shrimp – it’s messy and time-consuming. Peeled and deveined shrimp is expensive, so I compromise in the middle with the deveined but shell-on option. Just make sure that you don’t buy cooked shrimp! It’s best to thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. Again, a little planning is needed. Allow yourself adequate time to clean the shrimp. It will take a while to clean a pound. Shrimp cooks very quickly. When added to the curry sauce, it will cook in two minutes. Use care not to overcook. The shrimp is done when it’s pink and no longer transparent. Shrimp goes from juicy and tender to tough quickly!
This dish is served over cooked rice. I didn’t include a separate recipe for rice. There are several ways to prepare it, depending on where in the country you grew up or live. Most popular is a rice cooker. I’ve never used one. Likewise, I’ve never cooked rice in the microwave or instant pot. I cook rice by the instructions that are on the bag! The basic recipe is one cup rice to two cups boiling water and simmer until the water evaporates. It takes about 20 minutes. The rice can’t be an after-thought! When the curry is ready, you want to serve it while it’s hot—factor in making the rice accordingly during the cooking process. I start making the rice as I start making the curry and the timing works well as both are ready at about the same time.
A small salad and some bread to dip in the curry sauce will round out this romantic dinner. Enjoy!
Coconut Shrimp Curry with Rice
Course: Dinner, Main, lunchCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes25
minutesA rich, creamy coconut curry sauce with tender juicy shrimp served over cooked rice is restaurant-worthy. Cooked in one pan, this is a quick and easy dish to impress, not stress!
Ingredients
1 lb extra-large shrimp peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt (divided)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (divided)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
½ cup fresh mini sweet peppers, sliced in rings
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
13.5 oz coconut milk
2 tablespoon cilantro for garnish (or parsley)
Cooked rice for serving
Directions
- Before starting, make sure the onion is chopped, the garlic & ginger are minced and the peppers are sliced. Measure out your spices and assemble the other ingredients (open the can of diced tomatoes and coconut milk). Once you start cooking, the process moves quickly.
- Cook the rice by your chosen method. I use the stovetop, adding 1 cup rice to 2 cups boiling water. It takes about 20 minutes. I put the water on to boil as I start cooking and both the curry and rice are done about the same time.
- In a small bowl toss the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- While the shrimp is marinating, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Stir in the garlic, ginger, pepper rings, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 2 teaspoons coriander and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Cook for another minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes with juices and all, the coconut milk, stir and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp with the accumulated juices from the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
- Serve over hot rice and garnish with cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- The best tool to peel fresh ginger is a spoon to gently scrape off the skin. To mince the ginger, finely chopped it. You can substitute ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder in a pinch, but I don’t recommend it. Fresh ginger can be stored in the freezer for up to six months
- Use 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder as a substitution for 3 gloves fresh garlic
- Prepare the rice by using your preferred cooking method. I cook mine on the stove top, but it makes no difference. Time the rice to be ready at the same time as the curry.
- The measurements of the canned dice tomatoes and coconut milk do not need to be exact. Cans size will slightly vary by brand.
- Heave cream or evaporate milk can be substituted for the coconut milk.
- Allow time to for frozen shrimp to safely thaw. Clean the shrimp (devein, remove shells and tail) and rinse in cold water prior to assembling other ingredients
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