Home Cooking with Savita Nair & John Carroll
New traditions arise when you blend two strong cultures, or how coconut shrimp became a Thanksgiving staple on an Irish family table.
This recipe comes from Savita’s native region of India, Kerala. The curry patha, a leafy Indian herb, is available at any Indian grocery store, such as Radha’s on Woodruff Road in Greenville. The desiccated coconut is also available at Indian grocery stores, but sweetened coconut flakes can serve as a substitute and give a new sweeter twist. Dry-roast the coconut flakes in advance for a more robust flavor.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Serves 4.
- Vegetable oil
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 stalks curry patha, leaves stripped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or 2 teaspoons red chili flakes), to taste
- ½ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- Coconut oil for drizzling
- fresh coriander leaves
Instructions
Heat oil in skillet. Add onions; stir until soft. Add currypatha. Stir until leaves wilt (1-2 minutes). Add turmeric and chili powder. Stir another minute. Add garlic and ginger. Add shrimp. Turn occasionally until shrimp is cooked and coated with onion/garlic mixture. Add coconut flakes and continue tossing until coconut coats shrimp. Salt to taste. Finally, drizzle the entire dish with coconut oil to enhance flavors, and cover with roughly chopped coriander leaves.
Recipe by Savita Nair & John Carroll, Travelers Rest
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