Shrimp with Zucchinis

This is one of those recipes that I have proposed making several times and yet, for whatever reason, we never got around to it.  But last night I decided enough was enough and we made the shrimp tonight.  Part of the reason I found the recipe so appealing was that it came together so quickly, and used a lot of pantry and refrigerator staples.  We always have shrimp in the freezer and during the summer we tend to have lots of zucchini in the apartment.  I know it's not summer yet (actually it was pretty freezing in NYC today so I could almost swear that it's actually still winter), but zucchini is one of those ingredients that you can get at any grocery store, anytime.

I really enjoyed this recipe.  It was a great fresh and flavorful Indian dish.  Actually, when I took my first bite, the first thing that I thought was that the flavor profile didn't really strike me as Indian.  All of the spices and ingredients are fairly typical of Indian food, but somehow the combination didn't scream Indian food to me.  That's merely an observation and not a complaint.  And I guess it really shows how little I know about Indian food.  There are so many types of Indian food outside of the tandoori chicken and curries that show up all over the country (including the freezer section of most grocery stores).  I guess that means Alex and I need to start cooking a lot more Indian food...  Anyway, back to tonight's dish.  The shrimp and zucchini pick up a ton of tomato and lemon flavor, tempered with a hit of of cilantro and chilis.  I really liked the heat from the combination of the green chili (serrano in this case) and the cayenne.  If you don't like spicy food you should remove the seeds from your green chili and just use 1/4 tsp cayenne.

Recipe after the jump!

Shrimp with Zucchinis

Adapted from Indian Cooking

By Madhur Jaffrey

INGREDIENTS:

1 large zucchini, trimmed, halved cross-wise and cut into thin matchsticks

1 1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 serrano chili, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (Alex threw in about 1/2 tsp)

3 canned tomatoes, finely chopped, plus juices

1 tsp ginger, peeled and finely minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Put zucchini matchsticks in a bowl.  Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.  Toss to mix and set aside for 30-40 minutes.  Drain and pat dry.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add chopped garlic.  Stir-fry until garlic begins to turn medium brown.  Add zucchini, cilantro, chili, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes and their juices, ginger, lemon juice, and remaining tsp salt.  Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.  Add the shrimp and toss to combine.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3 minutes.  Uncover, increase heat to medium to finish cooking the shrimp and thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally.

Serve with basmati rice.