Curried Shrimps and Spinach

The term curry can be a bit misleading because it includes so many different types of dishes from India or south Asia and it could mean almost anything since the word curry basically means “stew”. We usually recognize them from the use of coconut milk as well as an elaborate blend of spices that are typically used in Indian cooking. Coriander, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel seeds and ginger are only a few of them. Instead of over-complicating things here, we’ll use curry powder, which is a prepared blend of some of those spices used especially for the purpose of making curries.

The following curried shrimps recipe is very quick and simple to prepare and requires only a few basic ingredients. It’s so easy and quick that it’ll be ready in less then 15 minutes. It’s a great way to prepare delicious shrimps, which are too often forgotten in our day to day meal planning.

Nutritionally, we know that spinach is loaded with a multitude of nutrients like magnesium, iron, calcium, vitamin K and selenium. Shrimps for their part are a great source of vitamin B12 and selenium.

Clarified butter (ghee) or coconut oil are the two best choices to prepare this dish because curries taste amazing with butter and coconut undertones and are traditionally prepared with ghee in India.

Curried shrimps and spinach recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 lbs shrimps, peeled and deveined;
• 2 tbsp ghee, butter or coconut oil;
• 1 onion, chopped;
• 2 tsp curry powder;
• 2 tsp tomato paste;
• 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock;
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk;
• 2 tightly packed cups shredded spinach;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. Heat a large skillet over a medium-low heat and cook the onion in the ghee, butter or coconut oil until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir in the curry powder and continue cooking for a minute.
3. Place mixture in a blender or a food processor, add the tomato paste as well as the chicken stock and coconut milk. Process or blend until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture back in the skillet and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the shrimps and spinach and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the shrimps are just cooked.

Photos: Curried shrimps, shrimps, spinach