Yassa! Shrimp Curry
May 23, 2021 by Amethyst Ganaway
We were inspired by the Durban curries of South Africa and decided to take our spin on it. The city of Durban, a coastal city in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, has the highest Indian population of any city in the world outside of India. Durban Curry is incredibly spicy and complex in flavor, a perfect pair for our citrusy Yassa! Fonio Pilaf. This recipe for a shrimp curry is easy to make and done in under an hour, but full of flavor and heat. I’m using large, local fresh shrimp to make it a super filling meal, but smaller ones are just as good. Typically, a Durban curry would be very spicy and wouldn’t have any coconut added, but to cool things down a bit we put in some coconut milk. Feel free to swap it for a cup or so of your favorite plain yogurt if that’s what you have on hand, or omit the coconut/yogurt together for a more traditional, spicy flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil
- ½ medium onion diced
- ¼ red bell pepper diced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 red chilis, cut into thin slices
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound 16/20 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup Yolélé Yassa! Fonio Pilaf cooked according to package directions
- *Optional: 1 13.5oz can coconut milk or 1 ½ cup plain yogurt
Preparation
- 01 .
In a sauté pan, add oil and heat over medium heat for about 30 seconds to minute, or until oil begins to shimmer. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are softened and onions become translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
- 02 .
Add garlic, ginger, and sliced chilis (to your taste), and sauté for one minute, stirring frequently to not burn.
- 03 .
Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, coriander, and turmeric powder and cook until tomatoes soften fully and release their juices, about ten minutes.
- 04 .
*If you’re choosing to add coconut milk or yogurt, bring up to a simmer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat back to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes.
- 05 .
Add shrimp and cook until they just begin to turn pink, about 2-3 min depending on their size. Turn off the heat and let the shrimp finish cooking, about 5 minutes total.
- 06 .
Serve over Yassa! Fonio Pilaf and enjoy!
