Shrimp Rice with Turmeric
The shrimps, cooked in turmeric, ginger, tomatoes and spices added a deep dimension to the simplicity of long-grained basmati rice. It was one of the easiest recipes of modern Indian cooking that I have made. Use "fresh catch of the day" shrimps for this recipe. This is the kind of dish that will save your life on busy weeknights. This recipe was slightly adapted from “Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors For The Contemporary Kitchen” by Monica Bhide. Serves 2 to 4 as a side or entrée.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small piece chopped red onion
- 1- inch piece peeled, sliced into fine matchstick sizes fresh ginger
- 1 medium chopped tomato
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or red chile flakes
- 1/2 Tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound medium-sized peeled, deveined fresh shrimps (raw)
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups for cooking rice water
- 1/4 cup chopped coarsely, for garnish (optional) fresh parsley
Instructions
- Over medium heat, in a large saucepan, add the vegetable oil. When oil heats up in 1 to 2 minutes, add the onion. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes till soft and translucent.
- Put the ginger in the pan together with the onions. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then add the tomato and blend well. Cook for about 10 minutes making sure the tomato cooks completely. The oil should separate from the onion-tomato mixture. If pan dries up, add a few tablespoons of water to the mix.
- To the same pan, add the turmeric, chile powder, coriander and cumin. Mix the seasonings well. Continue cooking for a minute more.
- Add the fresh, raw shrimps. Incorporate with the rest of ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes more till shrimps turn to pink.
- Add the basmati rice, salt and water. Stir all the ingredients together and incorporate well for the flavors to come out.
- Cover the saucepan and let the rice boil. After rice boils, stir the mixture around the pan then lower heat to a simmer. Cook rice for 12 to 15 minutes more. The water will be absorbed by then.
- When rice and shrimps are cooked, fluff the grains with a fork. Move the shrimps to the top of the dish as you plate it. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.
- Cook's comments: in the original recipe in her cookbook, the author added a chopped small green serrano chile. I preferred not to use it this time in ours. Feel free to elevate the spicy heat by adding more chiles if you like.
- Monica Bhide, food writer, of the site "A Life of Spice", author of 3 cookbooks including 'Modern Spice' her most recent, now debuts as a fiction writer with "The Devil In Us: Stories of love, life and redemption". This fabulous collection of fictional short stories (ebook retails at $3.99, print at $9.99) is available where most books are sold or on Amazon . Click on the book's link here. If you enjoy the book, please leave a review on this site which may be helpful to other readers.
- Hello, Friends! All the images and content here are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to use my photos or content on your website without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you.