Simple Shrimp Curry - Chingudi Tarkaari

A few years back..I used to have crazy eating habits... I'd go vegetarian for a year and then again start eating non-veg for some time and then go veg again.. Not sure what made me do all those things.. but Hey... only human beings do crazy things right !!!!. 

It was a time when I had started eating non-veg after a break of year and half.. and all my friends are very happy because I would not drag them to a vegetarian restaurant anymore for Friday lunch or dinner. But, I had not started eating everything non-veg. It was only eggs, fish and shrimp. 

Talking of shrimp, I made this easy curry that is the basic style Odiya gravy (used for almost every non-veg dish) and we had it for a Wednesday lunch. Of course, I was at home that Wednesday... otherwise cooking lunch on a weekday is a far-fetched dream here. 
Mami used to make this typically on weekends (or whenever Baba gets shrimp from the market) and we would slurp the gravy off of the plate and eat loads of rice with it. It was funny how a little non-veg on the plate would encourage us to eating so much !! But no surprise there... we are Odiyas after all. 

Here goes the recipe for my friends who remember their mother while cooking something similar..... It will take a little time but the end product is worth every minute spent !!

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs shrimp (peeled, deveined, its good to have just the tail on)
• 1 large onion chopped fine
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 medium tomato chopped fine
• 2 potatoes peeled & cubed
• 2 - 3 tbl spoons ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tea spoon garam masala
• 1 tea spoon cumin-coriander powder
• 1/2 tea spoon red chili powder
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

Process:

• Wash the shrimp properly under running water, drain out water and marinate with salt + turmeric + wee bit of mustard oil and keep aside for 20-25 mins.
• In the mean time, heat oil and fry the potatoes a little bit till they are brown on edges. You don't have to cook them fully. Just a 5 min. stir will do.
• After you take off the potatoes, heat a little bit more oil and fry the shrimp. The shrimp will start turning pink and then reddish in color. That's your cue of a good shrimp fry.

• Take the shrimp off the pan and add some more oil and heat well.
• Splutter cumin seeds and then add green chillies + onions at a time.
• When onions are browned up, add the ginger-garlic paste + all powders + little water and fry well till you don't smell raw masala.
• Now add the tomatoes + salt and fry till tomatoes are all mushy.
• When that is done, add the potatoes + salt and mix them in the masala and fry well. This is called "kassa" in Odiya meaning hard-core sauteing (I think)

• When the potatoes are cooked in the masala (8-9 mins) add the shrimp and mix it well.
• Leave the mix on the stove for a while (say 4-6 mins).

• Now, add warm water + coconut milk to the mix and let the water boil vigorously.
• When you have attained your choice of gravy thickness, sprinkle the coriander leaves and leave the gravy covered.

This shrimp curry goes best with while fluffy rice. Nothing else !! Enjoy cooking this for a Saturday or Sunday lunch and enjoy with the whole family. For the side, you may make some amba khata like I did or just some potato or egg-plan hash will do as well.