This is one of the most popular curries at the Indian stalls in Singapore. In an Indian home it would probably be served with flatbread, a yogurt dish and chutney, but at the nasi kandar stalls it is often one of several curried dishes served with rice. It’s equally delicious made with pre-cooked sweet potatoes instead of ordinary ones.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 30 m/2 tablespoons ghee, or 15 ml/1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 15 g/½ oz/1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, halved lengthways and sliced along the grain
- A handful of fresh or dried curry leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 medium-size waxy potatoes, lightly steamed, peeled and diced
- 500 g/1¼ lb large raw shrimps (prawns), peeled and deveined
- 200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup coconut milk
- 10 ml/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 10 ml/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
For the spice paste:
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 25 g/1 oz fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
- 2 red chilies, seeded and chopped
- 5 ml/1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 15 ml/1 tablespoon fish curry powder
Method:
Grind the garlic, ginger and chilies to a coarse paste with a mortar and pestle. Stir in the turmeric and curry powder.
Heat the ghee in a heavy pan or earthenware pot. Stir in the onion and fry until golden. Stir in the curry leaves, then the cinnamon stick and the spice paste. Fry until fragrant, then add the potatoes, coating them in the spices. Toss in the shrimps and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and bubble it up to thicken and reduce it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast the fennel and mustard seeds in a small heavy pan until they begin to pop and give off a nutty aroma. Stir them into the curry and serve immediately, sprinkled with cilantro.