Shrimp in Yellow Curry

Ingredients

By Mark Bittman, cookbook author and columnist for the New York Times

Makes 4 servings

Active work time: 25 minutes
Total preparation time: 25 minutes
Can be prepared in advance (see recipe); easily multiplied

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced hot chile, or crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
1 cup fresh or canned coconut milk
1-1/2 to 2 pounds medium-to-large shrimp, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce), or to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or mint leaves

1. Place the oil in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chiles and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the curry and cook, stirring, another minute.

2. Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the mixture is nearly dry. (If you want to cook the dish a few hours in advance, now is the time to stop. Finishing it will take only 5 or 10 minutes, and is best done just before serving.)

3. Add the shrimp. a few pinches of salt, and a little black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp release their liquid (the mixture will become quite moist again) and turn pink. Add half the nam pla, stir, then taste and add the rest if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and serve with white or sticky rice.

Instructions