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Indian Style Wok Cooked Shrimp Curry (Kadhai Jhinga)

Adapted from J Inder Singh Kalra
Course Entree
Cuisine Indian
Keyword curry, shrimp
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  1. Using a spice or coffee grinder, pulverize the coriander seeds and dried chile peppers. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.