DFO: Martha's Shrimp

By now we’ve all had our fill of the traditional holiday fare, and it’s too cold to venture out for takeout. I saw this recipe in the new issue of Martha Stewart and thought it looked like an easy, fast way to make to make an Indian-inspired dish at home - the perfect antidote for post-holiday taste bud burnout. The original recipe makes enough for four, so I’ve adjusted it a bit to create a great DFO.

Dinner For One: Shrimp Tikka Masala w/ Toasted-Coconut Rice
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2010

This may not be the prettiest dinner I’ve ever pointed a camera at, but it’s really delicious. Full flavored with ginger, garlic and a little spice, it’s definitely beer food - perfect with a lager like Kingfisher.

What you need
for the rice:
1 TB olive oil
.5 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup basmati or other long grain rice
2 cups water
pinch salt
1 scallion, finely sliced

for the shrimp:
2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 TB grated, peeled fresh ginger
.5 TB minced garlic
2 tea tikka masala spice blend*
pinch of ground red pepper
.5 cup water
10-12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 TB plain yogurt or sour cream

How you make it:
To make sure everything is ready to eat at the same time, start the rice about ten minutes before the shrimp. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add coconut and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Removed two tablespoons of the toasted coconut and set it aside. Add rice, water and salt to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

In another small saucepan, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are browned, about 10 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and spices. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and water, cook until shrimp is pink and cooked through. You’ll need to stir it while the shrimp cook to ensure the spice/onion mixture gets broken up and distributed equally.

Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt or sour cream and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the shrimp over rice and top with scallions and the reserved toasted coconut.

*I happen to have some on hand – It’s available at international markets. If you can’t find it, simply stick to Martha’s original ingredients: mix two teaspoons of tomato paste with two teaspoons of garam masala, a more readily-available spice blend.