Curried Shrimp with Rice

Curried Shrimp with Rice

Serves 4 | Hands-on Time: 20m | Total Time: 40m

Nutritional Information: Calories 431; Fat 7g; Sat Fat 1g; Cholesterol 259mg; Sodium 757mg; Protein 39g; Carbohydrate 50g; Fiber 3g; Sugar 3g

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/2 cup fresh basil

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.

3. Add the rice, 2½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Season the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle them in the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in the basil.

Tip: Upgrade this Indian-inspired dish with basmati rice, a fragrant long-grain variety with a delicate, fluffy texture.

Back from vacation and no food in the house = time for an easy dinner. This recipe had been in my Meal Planning list for awhile but I never got around to making it. Last night I made it for dinner since it was the one thing I had all the ingredients for. (Thank you Costco frozen shrimp.)

It’s a simple recipe and it was easy to make.

I chopped all the onions, carrots and garlic. Michael cooked the onion and carrots in the pot with oil with the curry powder and then garlic.

I heated some chicken broth in the microwave before adding it to the veggies. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably read my rant about brown rice last night.

Usually I use my rice cooker when I cook rice. It turns out so much better but this recipe was a little different and I couldn’t use my cooker. All I had was brown rice, too. I knew this would prove to be a challenge.

I made us salads to tide us over until dinner was ready. The recipe called for adding the shrimp when the rice was “almost” cooked. That was the challenge. The rice ended up taking almost an hour.

Once the rice was “almost” cooked (a little liquid was still in it but the rice itself was less crunchy) I added the shrimp.

I cooked it about 10 more minutes and the shrimp were cooked so I served. I scooped out servings with a 1 cup measuring cup to make sure I was accurate.

I did not have fresh basil to add to the recipe. Oh well.

I liked it. The flavors were rich and a bit spicy. The shrimp wasn’t overcooked (the rice was almost perfectly cooked) and I liked the veggies. If I hadn’t chopped the onion myself, I never would have guessed there was onion in the recipe though.

I would make this recipe again with some changes. I might use the sesame oil instead of olive oil, I’d add peas and I would try fresh basil too.

While we ate dinner we watched last week’s Top Chef and SNL and I had some dessert.

One Rice Krispie Treat (90 calories) plus one serving (1 tablespoon) of chocolate chips (70 calories).

Mmm chocolate. I’ve missed you!

QUESTION: What is your favorite curry recipe? And do you miss cooking your own food after being on a long vacation?