shrimp + curry in a hurry

This is a quick yet flavorful curry you can throw together with just a few ingredients.

Growing up eating Malaysian curry almost every week, the first thing I thought of after seeing leftover shrimp and coconut milk in the fridge was: curry time! You could also make this a vegan dish by substituting the shrimp with carrots, cabbage, bamboo shoots, and/or cauliflower.

Normally, I make curries in a big pot that sits on the stove top for 45 minutes to an hour, but this recipe takes only 20 minutes to throw together! While waiting for the flavors to come together in the pot, I tossed some asparagus with olive oil, seasoned them, and gave them a quick roast in the oven to add a side dish that beautifully compliments the curry.

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WARNING: I live for spicy foods, which means this recipe is a bit HOT. If spicy foods aren't exactly your thing, but you still want to be adventurous, you may decide to tone the heat down by adding less curry paste and/or more coconut milk.

Shrimp Curry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic - minced

• 1 medium onion - sliced

• 3 tablespoons Mae Ploy's Green Curry Paste

• 10 oz shrimp (fresh or frozen) - peeled and deveined

• 1/2 can full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk (1 can = 13.5 fl oz)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black papper

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

• 1 star anise

• 1 bell pepper - diced into 1-inch pieces

• 2 tablespoons cilantro - coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Heat skillet on medium-high heat and coat with olive oil

2. Add garlic and onion. Stir until onion slices soften.

3. Add curry paste and quickly stir ingredients as to not have anything stick to the bottom of the pan. Add in cumin, coriander, and star anise. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Put in the shrimp and stir until the shrimp is covered in the curry paste.

5. Spoon in the chunkiest parts of the coconut milk first, before adding the rest of the milk into the skillet, while stirring occasionally. Mix until shrimp is halfway cooked (about 4 minutes)

6. Add the bell pepper. Cover and let sit for 5 to 7 minutes, until bell pepper softens.

7. Turn the heat off, ladle curry into serving dish, and garnish with cilantro. This may be served with rice, noodles, quinoa, or a gluten-free bread.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

• 1 bunch thin asparagus spears - trimmed

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. Toss asparagus spears with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder.

3. Lay spears onto baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until tender.

4. Remove from oven and juice lemon on top before serving.