Indian Style Wok Cooked Shrimp Curry (Kadhai Jhinga) Recipe
I hope I translated the name of this dish accurately! It is from a pretty intimidating cookbook that John got me, called Prashad: Cooking with Indian Masters, by J Inder Singh Kalra, who is (was?) an Indian food writer. First published in 1986, the book is intended for an international audience, but either because it is dated or because it is written by an Indian in India using the recipes of chefs in India, it is more intimidating than the other Indian cookbooks I have. However, based on this dish, I would say it is worth getting over my hesitations.
One thing is worth noting: Indian food is not fussy, it is easy to adjust it to taste. So even when confronted with an intimidating cookbook such as this one, it is not too difficult to just toss the requisite ingredients into the pot and go for it. I don’t know if I got it right, and I do know I adjusted it to taste (the honey, for example), but the end result was tasty and enjoyed by everyone. There were no leftovers.
Kadhai Jhinga
Adapted from Prashad: Cooking with Indian Masters, by J Inder Singh Kalra
- 2 lbs medium sized shrimp
- 1/4 cup ghee (or a combination of ghee and oil)
- 2 medium-large onions, finely chopped
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 dried chile peppers, such as cayenne, optional (I just tossed some paprika in because my kids cannot take the heat)
- 2 t coriander seeds
- 2 t ajwain seeds
- 3 cups chopped tomatoes (I always recommend using fresh or frozen for Indian dishes)
- 1/3 cup minced ginger
- 1 anaheim chile pepper, seeded and minced
- salt to taste
- 2 cups frozen peas, optional
- 2 t garam masala
- 1 1/2 t fenugreek (methi) seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 T honey, to taste
Using a spice or coffee grinder, pulverize the coriander seeds and dried chile peppers. Set aside.
Heat the ghee in a large, deep pan, such as a wok, over medium high heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic. Cook for about a minute, stirring, and then add the ground coriander and chile peppers, as well as the ajwain seeds. Cook, stirring, for another minute. Then add the tomatoes with a hefty pinch of salt to taste.
Bring the tomatoes to a boil, and then add the ginger and anaheim chile pepper. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes, until the fat separates from the sauce. At this point, if it is still quite soupy, increase the heat and boil some of the liquid off. Then add the shrimp and reduce the heat to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp are all cooked through. When most of them are cooked, add the peas if you are using them (the original recipe did not call for them but I decided to add them). Heat the peas through. Add the honey (to taste), cilantro, garam masala, lemon juice and fenugreek (methi) seeds. Toss, and turn off the heat–but do taste for additional seasoning (honey, lemon juice, garam masala, salt). Serve with Basmati rice (as I did) or flatbread.