Easy Indian Spiced Shrimp with Garlic and Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful time celebrating the New Year!  2012 was a pretty good year for Piyush and I; and I’m so excited to see what 2013 has in store for us!

I’m also stoked (yes, I said “stoked!”) about what’s in store for My Fancy Pantry in 2013!  Thank you all for taking time out of your day to read what I write, cook what I cook, and especially for sharing your thoughts and comments with me.  I appreciate it more than I can even express!

It was so cold here, in Minnesota, that Piyush and I decided to stay home and ring in the New Year; instead of going out to celebrate.  It may have been a little lame, but lame isn’t always bad.  In fact, it was wonderful!

We started the morning off with a savory Indian breakfast of Shrimp and Vegetable Besan Pancakes (post coming soon!), saw Les Miserables (incredible!), and finished the night with crab legs dipped in homemade ghee!

Yum!

I’ve been on  a seafood kick lately.  Salmon, shrimp, crab, lobster…I can’t get enough!

My local supermarket had USA wild caught shrimp on sale so I picked up a pound and a half a couple days before New Years Eve with the intention of making my Bengali Shrimp Malai Curry, but somewhere between running errands and hanging out with Megan, those plans got squashed.

The curry doesn’t take long to prepare so it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but I wanted some extra shrimp for snacking on and for making Piyush a surprise New Year’s Eve breakfast.  Instead I decided to marinate the shrimp in some spices and cook them in a little ghee.  They were fantastic!

I also whipped up a quick dipping sauce–a raita, if you want to be technical–for the little shrimpies using yogurt, garlic and cilantro.  Healthy! 

Indian Spiced Shrimp Recipe

Depending on how large your shrimp are, this could be a main course for 4 people.  If your shrimp are smaller, it could be an appetizer to feed many.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. peeled and devained shrimp
• 1/2 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala
• 1/4 c. fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Rinse the shrimp in cold water and pat them dry.  
• In a large bowl (or ziplock bag) combine the lime juice, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander and garam masala.  Mix well.
• Add the shrimp to the marinade and toss to coat.  Allow the shrimp to marinade for 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Once the shrimp have marinated, add the ghee to a large pan over medium high heat (Alternatively, you could put the shrimp on skewers and grill them.)  Stir-fry the shrimp for approximately 3 minutes, or until they are cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss in the chopped coriander and stir so that it coats the shrimp evenly.  Add a little extra lime juice, if you feel it’s necessary.

Yogurt, Garlic and Cilantro Dipping Sauce (Garlic and Cilantro Raita) Recipe

Ingredients:

You can serve this raita right after making it, but I feel it tastes better once it’s had a little time to chill in the refrigerator.   

• 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• fresh lime juice, to taste
• chaat masala, to taste
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• small pinch of sugar, optional
• water, as needed to reach desired consistancy

Directions:

• In a medium sized bowl add the greek yogurt, garlic and cilantro.  Using a whisk, beat the mixture until everything is well combined and the yogurt is smooth.
• Squeeze a little fresh lime juice into the mixture (I used about 1 tbsp, I think).  Season with salt, pepper and chaat masala.  Add a small pinch of sugar if you would like a little sweetness.  Whisk everything to combine.
• Thin the sauce with water until you reach your desired consistency.

Stay tuned to see how I used the left over shrimp and yogurt sauce to create a fabulous savory Indian breakfast!