Recipe(tried): Shrimp with Spiced Masala and Coconut Milk, Patiala Pilaf

If you like Indian food, and don't mind slightly spicy food, I think you will love this shrimp recipe. We had snow, here, the night before last and this was very nice on a cold night:-) I think it's an amazing and pretty recipe! I wouldn't hesitate to serve it to friends at a dinner party. This recipe, which I halved for DH and myself (and we had leftovers) makes loads of sauce so if you can find some Indian Bread to serve with it, you will have plenty of delicious sauce to mop up with the bread. This would also be excellent with chicken instead of shrimp.

SHRIMP WITH SPICED MASALA AND COCONUT MILK
Serve over steamed basmati rice. Garam masala, a spice mixture, is available at Indian markets and some supermarkets.

Masala
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Shrimp
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 13 1/2-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion tops
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For masala:
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; saut until deep golden, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and all spices; stir 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm. Puree tomatoes with juices and yogurt in processor until almost smooth. Add onion mixture; puree until almost smooth. Season masala to taste with salt and pepper. (Masala can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For shrimp:
Heat oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and saut until partially cooked, about 2 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, cilantro, green onions, lemon juice, and prepared masala. Simmer until shrimp are opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 8 servings.


Bon App tit
September 2001

Patiala Pilaf is a recipe from Patiala, a city in the state of Punjab. "The Punjabis use only whole spices in their pilafs, to flavoe them without changing the color of the rice. The pilaf is traditionally served with all the spices left in, because it makes the dish look attractive. Except for the cumin, the spices are not eaten, although no harm will come to you if you bite into the cardomom pods, chew a bay leaf, or swallow a few cloves." You can add a teaspoon of tumeric to give the rice a yellow color but the Punjabis would not add it. This recipe is from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahini. If you halve the shrimp recipe, you will also want to halve this rice recipe. It makes a lot of pilaf (rice.) The secret when using basmati rice is that you must rinse it 8 or 9 times in cold water, until the water is no longer milky or starchy looking. Even if you use very high quality basmati rice or American basmati rice rather than that imported from India, you must rinse it well. If you do not rinse the rice, you will have a sticky, gummy pilaf:-< So do not skip rinsing it well.

Patiala Pilaf Serves 6 to 8 persons

3 medium sized onions
2 c. basmati rice
5 Tbl. light vegetable oil such as canola oil
1 tsp. black (or white) cumin seeds
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 black (or 6 green) cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches long
8 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. Kosher salt (I think I would use 1 1/2
tsp. next time I make it since I thought it
was a bit salty.)

Peel onions, and finely chop 1 of them. Slice remiaining two into paper-thin shreds, and set aside. (For DH and myself,I only used the 1 chopped onion. The other two are fried and used as a garnish so you may want to use them if you are serving this to dinner guests.)
Wash basmati rice 8 or 9 times in cold water, draining between each rinsing, until the water is clear.
Place the rice in a bowl, add 4 cups cold water, and let soak for 1/2 hour. Drain the rice, resrving the water, and set aside. (It is traditional to cook the rice in the same water in which it is soaked).
Heat oil in heavy-bottomed pan, and add the 2 shredded onions. Over medium-high heat, fry onions, stirring constantly, until they turn dark brown (about 20 minutes). Remove the onions from the pan with a slotted spoon, and drain them on paper towels. When cool, these fried onion shreds will become crackling crisp. Set them aside for the garnish.
Turn the heat to medium-high. If you are using white cumin seeds, add the seeds now, and fry until they turn dark brown (about 10 seconds). Then add the chopped onion, and fry until light brown (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly to prevent burning. Do not let the onion brown too much, or the pilaf will turn brown. Add the garlic, and fry for an additional minute, being careful that it does not burn. Add all the spices, and continue frying for 1/2 minute or so, or until the spices are slightly puffed and browned. Add rice, and fry until the rice becomes translucent again and begins to brown (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the reserved water and salt, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to keep the rice from settling.
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the water is almost absorbed and the surface of the rice is covered with several steam holes (about 10 to 12 minutes). There is no need to stir the rice, but if you wish to do so, use a fork or a knife so that you don't crush the rice grains.
Cover the pan tightly, reduce heat to the lowest possible level, and raise the pan about an inch away from the source of heat. (this can be done by placing a pair of tongs or a Chinese wok ring over the burner and resting the pan on it.) Let rice steam for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and let rice rest undisturbed, covered, for another 5 minutes. Do not stir the rice during these last 15 minutes, as the grains are very moist and fragile, breaking easily with every touch. The rice will remain warm for 20 minutes, if left covered. Uncover, fluff rice with a fork, and transfer to a serving platter. Spread fried onions over it and serve immediately.