A guest post by Tanvi Srivastava from Sinfully Spicy - Tomato-Mustard Shrimp Curry

Haallo lovely people, I'm delighted to introduce to you another post from guest post series. This month treat is from Tanvi of  Sinfully Spicy. She is the sweetest girl I have know form blogging world and the one on earth who gave me an award for cooking, may be will be the only one, can't forget for years to come. If you enjoy the the act of love and tad bit of emotions to go with ur food Sinfully Spicy is one place. One thing I have always enjoyed in Tanvi's blog is the way she beautifully pens stories related to the food she makes. Many time it reflects her mom kitchen or her family cooking together which is most case at my home too, so you know why I land in there! Not only you will find delectable spicy food in her blog which she definitely is famous for but bunch of decadent desserts with gorgeous pictures. My fav has always been her popular thumb print cookies.

When my most favorite food is cooked just for me, you will find with me dancing all the way he he ha. Thanks a bunch Tanvi for coming over especially with my favorite prawns :D I'm sure to glare at ur picture till I get them cooked. Girls and boys here is Tanvi of Sinfully Spicy! 

Hello to all the readers of Ananda's Blog. I have known Ananda & her blog since my initial days of blogging. Her blog is as beautiful & inspiring as its name.Thanks for having me over dear girl, I m honored. When she asked me about a guest post, she did not give me any preference. She said, anything I like. How sweet is that? Having known the wonderful baker & dessert maker Ananda herself is, I did not really want to do anything sweet, which left me with perfect room to stick to my love for savory indian dishes :) I remembered from few initial interactions with her that she loves seafood. This shrimp recipe is one, which I have been wanting to share whole of this summer on blog, but somehow every time I made it, I missed on taking pictures. This guest post presented me with the best opportunity to cater to Ananda's seafood love and share the recipe before summer bids us goodbye.

Unlike most of my recipes which root back to my mom's kitchen, this recipe is what I picked up from one of our neighbors back in Delhi, the indian state I hail from. The recipe has an east indian influence though I wont call it a pure bengali dish. It is perfect for those days when you are looking for curry comfort in the true sense. When I say that, I mean slurping a soupy & spicy broth full of flavors...sans the thick, nutty, creamy textures. The ingredients are few and this is not your normal onion- tomato base for the curry that generally defines indian cuisine. This might not be the prettiest curry around but is different, light, healthy, heart warming & satisfying. It makes appearance on our summer dinner tables at least once a week. Try it before summer goes away!

The freshly ground yellow mustard seeds are the star here. The mild yet pungent & rustic taste from them pairs up well with the sweet & acidic taste of ripe tomatoes. Garlic & fresh green chilies give the paste the required kick and aroma. A dash of nigella seeds (kalonji) enhances the pungent flavor if you manage to lay your hands on them, however they can be dropped if not available. Another thing, which I really want to highlight, is that if you have mustard oil at home; try to use it while making this curry- it makes a ton of difference as far as traditional taste goes but again if you can't get it, its okay. Virgin mustard oil, which is widely used in north & east indian cooking, is easily available in indian stores and on Amazon too, in case you are interested. Lets jump to the recipe now.

Printable Recipe

I m giving the recipe in two parts. You can make the basic mustard paste and then use it to make curries with boiled potatoes, okra, eggplant, taro root, yams, summer squashes, scallops, hard-boiled eggs, crabs etc. I have tried this recipe with most of the items mentioned & it tastes delicious with all simply because of the mustard (y) flavor.

Ingr edients: - [Ser ves 2-3]

4 tbsp mustard oil (preferred but can be replaced with canola/vegetable oil)

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana)

1/2 tsp dry mango powder (amchoor, substitute with fresh lemon juice)

7 oz raw shrimp, cleaned [approx 20 nos extra-large shrimp]

1.5 cup water (adjust depending on desired consistency)

Salt to taste

Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

For the mustar d paste: -

1/2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds (Kalonji)

4 fresh tomatoes (use any variety which is not very sweet)

3 cloves garlic

3 Thai green chilies (adjust to tolerance)

1 tsp red chili powder (adjust to tolerance)

3/4 tsp turmeric powder

Method: -

Make the mustar d paste: - Coarsely chop the garlic, tomatoes & green chilies. Tip in the yellow

mustard and nigella seeds into the blender jar. Grind the ingredients to a very smooth puree. Add

few tablespoons of water if required to grind. This will take about 8-10 minutes since mustard

seeds take few extra minutes to grind. (Soaking in water for 30-40 helps if you have extra time

on hand). Once ground, transfer to a bowl and add turmeric and red chili powder. Mix well & set

aside.

Making the Cur r y: - In a wide-mouthed, heavy bottomed pan/kadhai, pour the mustard oil

and heat it on high till it starts smoking lightly. Once smoking, reduce the heat to low, wait

for 2 minutes and temper the oil with fenugreek seeds. Sauté for 20 seconds till you smell the

aroma. Next, very carefully add the ground mustard paste to the oil. While adding to hot oil, the

paste will splutter so you might want to wear gloves. Add the salt and mix well.

On low heat, cook the mustard paste, covered, for about 15-20 minutes with regular stirring

in between so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook the paste till you see oil

separating on the sides of the pan as well as it changing color to shiny, deep reddish-yellow. As

the paste cooks, it splutters a lot, be careful.

Once the paste has cooked, add the water, check the salt, cover and bring to a boil on high heat.

About 3-5 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low medium and let simmer for another 6-8

minutes.

Add the shrimp next and cook for another 2-3 minutes till they change color to whitish & a

cooked but tender. Keep a watch as shrimp overcooks fast. Remove from heat, add amchoor (or

lemon juice) and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm with steamed rice.

Notes: - If using other vegetables or eggs or meats in this recipe, you will need to adjust the

cooking time.