Dish of Shrimp Curry Andaman
(click to enlarge)

Shrimp Curry Andaman


India, South, Andaman Islands   -   Andaman Erra Kutta
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 w/rice
**
45 min
Yes		 Wow! this is really good! A simple but wonderfully tasty shrimp dish in the style of the Andaman Islands off the coast of Tamil Nadu in southeast India. With coconut, onions and tamarind.

2
1
14
1
2
1
-----
5
1
1/2
1/2
-----
4
2
1
-----
2
1/2
T
#
oz
t
cl

---
oz
t
t
t
---

t
t
---
T
c
Tamarind Paste
Shrimp (1)
Onion
Peppercorns Black  
Garlic
Chili Serrano (2)
-- Seasonings
Coconut Milk (3)
Chili Powder (4)
Turmeric
Salt
-- Tempering
Curry Leaves (5)
Mustard seed (6)
Cumin Seed
--------------
Oil
Broth (7)
PREP   -   (35 min)
  1. Soak TAMARIND in hot water to cover, 20 minutes or more. For details see our Tamarind page.
  2. Shell SHRIMP and de-vein if needed, and save the shells for broth. For details see our Working with Shrimp page.
  3. Chop ONION fine and mix with PEPPERCORNS.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Chop CHILI fine. Mix.
  5. Press Tamarind through a strainer, discarding solids. Mix paste (make sure you scraped all from the outside of the strainer) together with all Seasonings items.
  6. Mix all Tempering items.
RUN   -   (45 min)
  1. Heat OIL, stir in Tempering (careful, the Curry leaves will snap and spit for a moment) and fry until Mustard seeds are popping well.
  2. Stir in Onion Mix and fry stirring until Onions show a touch of color, then stir in Garlic Mix and continue frying until Garlic is light golden.
  3. Stir in Coconut Milk Mix, and 1/2 cup Broth, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in Shrimp, check Salt and liquid. Bring to a boil, and simmer until shrimp are cooked, perhaps a minute more.
  5. Serve with steamed Thai Jasmine rice. Basmati is not appropriate this far south.
NOTES:

  1. Shrimp:

      Do not buy pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe (or any other recipe), they are pretty much devoid of shrimp flavor. The Shrimp used for the example photo were 31-40, a good medium size, purchased headless in the shell. Size you use is up to you.

  2. Chile Serrano

      One Serrano and the given amount of Reshampatti Chile Powder is the perfect hotness for me. If you have yet to make your sacrifices to the Chili Gods, you may want to cut both in half. If you go for less than that, you fall into the category we initiates call "Wimps".

  3. Coconut Milk

      Must be unsweetened. Brands from Thailand are best, my favorite being Aroy-D.

  4. Chili Powder:

      A good choice for this region is Reshampatti, but others are fine too. Again, use your own best judgement. For details see our Chili Powders / Flake page.

  5. Curry Leaves:

      These fresh leaves are necessary for the true flavor of southern India, and are now reasonably available in Indian markets, at least here in California. Dried ones aren't of much use (unless you force dried them yourself within a couple weeks). If you don't have them you will have to leave them out - there is no acceptable substitute. Use caution with how many you use, because some people don't like the resinous taste. For details see our Curry Leaves page.

  6. Mustard Seeds:

      In India, black mustard seeds are always used, but yellow will work if you don't have black.

  7. Broth:

      Best to make this broth by simmering the shells from the shrimp for about 15 minutes. If you don't have the shells, use some other broth, or plain water if necessary.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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