Arroz con camarones (Costa Rican paella)

This is a classic South American dish, called different names in different countries.

2 lbs raw shrimp, deveined
2 tsp cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs canola or sunflower oil
2 cups uncooked rice (I used valencia rice)
3 tbs butter/ oil
1 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, diced
3 tbs parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
½ cup of white wine
Salt and pepper

Marinate the shrimp with salt, pepper, 1 tsp of cumin, let it marinate for an hour.
Bring 3-4 cups of water to boil in a large pot, add the shrimp and boil for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook or the shrimp will be chewy. Remove the shrimp from the water and reserve the water they cooked in to prepare the rice.

Chop up 1/2 the shrimp into small pieces and leave the other 1/2 whole.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or pot, add the minced garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper, and remaining 1 tsp of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers are tender. At this point, add the rice to the garlic and vegetable mix, and mix well until the rice is coated with oil. Add double the cups of water as compared to the rice. Use the water that was used to boil the shrimp. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow rice to cook slowly, monitoring for water and adding a little as needed. When the rice is about 1/2 cooked, add the chopped shrimp to the cooking rice mix. Once done, add the remaining shrimp during the last minutes and mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with shrimp with tails on.

Serve with avocado slices, tomato and onion salad, lime slices.

Shrimp in mustard gravy

Source: 50 great curries of India

Serves 4

1 pack of frozen shrimp, I leave the shell on while cooking because I feel like it might keep it from overcooking BUT it does get a bit cumbersome to eat.

2 tbsp poppy seeds

2 tbsps mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

50gm of dessicated coconut, add 1/4 cup of water and set aside

1.5 inch piece of ginger

5-6 small cloves of garlic

2-3 green chillies

1 onion, cubed

2 tsps coriander powder

2 tsps cumin powder

1-1.5 tsps crushed red chillies

1 15oz can of crushed tomatoes

juice of 1/2 lime

coriander leaves to garnish

salt to taste

oil

1. Toast poppy seeds for a couple of mins. Grind poppy seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, coconut, ginger, garlic, green chillies, onion, coriander, cumin, crushed red chillies, and 1.5 tsp of salt with 1/2 cup of water.
2. In a skillet, heat some oil and fry the spice paste for 6-7 mins. Stir continuously and add a little water to avoid sticking at the bottom.
3. Add tomatoes and saute for another 5 mins.
4. Add a couple of cups of water and lime juice. Simmer for 5 mins on low heat. Add salt to taste.
5. Add shrimp and keep a close eye. Cook until done - shouldn't take more than 5 mins to cook through. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Bengali Shrimp

Tried a variation of the Bengali aloo dum but with shrimp. Delicious!

20 shrimp, cleaned and deviened

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tbsp dhania powder

1/2 tbsp jeera pwrd

2 cloves

piece of cinnamom

1 heaped teaspoon chilli pwrd

1/2 tsp haldi pwrd

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

2 tejpatta

1 large tomatoes, cut

1/4 tsp sugar for caramelization

In a mixer, grind the onion, dhania pwdr, jeera pwdr, cinnamon, cloves, chilli, haldi,and ginger-garlic paste with a little water. In a cooking pot, heat oil and add this masala. Add sugar to aid with caramelization of the onions. Fry well for almost 15-20 minutes until the onions lose their raw smell. Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates (took about 5-7 minutes). At this time, add 1-2 cups water depending on the desired consistency of the gravy. When the gravy is boiling, drop the shrimp in gently and cook about 5-7 minutes. Careful not to overcook since the shrimp can become chewy! Finally, when done turn the heat off and garnish with dhania leaves. As with most seafood curries, the longer you wait before eating, the more intense the flavor of the dish!

Shrimp Fried Rice

This is a really easy recipe to make with fridge leftovers. One important tip to make perfect fried rice: use day-old rice which has been stored in the fridge.
Ingredients:
2 cups white rice (stored in the fridge for a day)
20-25 shrimp cleaned and deveined (i used frozen shrimp)
3-4 spring onions, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup peas (i used frozen peas)
2 pods of garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 tsp soy sauce
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
oil

In a bowl, combine the shrimp, salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. In a small pan, add 1tsp oil and when it is hot, add the shrimp. Let the shrimp turn golden-brown on both sides (takes about 30s each side). Remove and set aside. In the same pan, add two eggs and scramble. Set aside.

In a wok, add 2-3 tbsp oil and heat on a high flame. Add minced garlic and green onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes and then add peas and bell pepper (you can add any other vegetables, like carrots, green beans). Let these cook for 3-4 minutes. When veges looked partially cooked, add the sauteed shrimp. Add white rice and mix with the vegetables. Add the soy sauce. Stir-fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Lastly, add the scrambled eggs.

Savor the fried rice fresh off the stove!

Konkani Shrimp Ghasshi

serves 4

For Paste:
Coconut Milk 1 cup
3 tbsp coconut
5 red chillies
2-3 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Grind these together into a fine paste in a mixer.

In oil, fry 1/2 cup onions till translucent (do not burn). Add 20-30 shrimp, deveined. I used frozen shrimp thawed for about 30 mins. When they start turning a light pink, add the coconut paste, 2 pieces of kokum (substitute with tamarind, if kokum isn't at hand), and 2 green chillies slit sideways. Add about 1/2 cup water to bring ghasshi to desired consistency. Add salt to taste, and cook till shrimp are cooked through. Make sure not to cook too long, since shrimp can overcook and turn rubbery!


This is one of those fool-proof recipes passed down from my grandmom. I love making it with simple yellow dal and rice.

Shrimp in tomato sauce

Makes 4 servings

1 lb frozen, raw, deveined, shelled shrimp

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp ajwain seeds

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 small tomatoes chopped (1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt)

1 inch piece of ginger minced

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 cup of chicken stock

pinch of turmeric

salt to taste

Defrost the shrimp in warm water and marinate in lemon juice, ajwain seeds, salt for a hour. Heat 2 tbsps of oil, add garlic and cook until you can smell it - about 1 min. Add tomatoes, ginger, salt (remember there is salt in the marinade so don't salt too much at this point), red pepper, turmeric and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 - 6 minutes. Add shrimp and marinade and cook for another 6-8 minutes until just cooked through.

The picture shows the sauce served over quinoa. Recipe has been adpated from Ismail Merchant's Passionate meals.