Shrimp Jalfrezi

About

Jalfrezi is a type of curry which involves frying marinated pieces of meat or vegetables in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. As the dish includes green chilies, a jalfrezi can range in heat from a medium dish to a very hot one. This mouth watering recipe is made with shrimp or prawns and stir-fried with curry spices. If you are not a big seafood fan or are vegetarian, replace the shrimp with vegetarian alternatives like paneer/tofu or assorted vegetables. Alternatively, you can replace the shrimp with eggs to make an equally amazing egg curry. For Chicken or meat, I will post a detailed recipe because they require marination and further preparation. Traditionally, bell peppers are added to jalfrezi, you may or may not add them. If you choose to, cut into ½" squares and add just after adding shrimp.  

Ingredients

Prawn-1 Pound 

Minced Garlic- 1 tablespoon

Ginger Finely chopped: 2 tablespoons

Salt, to taste

Ginger paste- 1 teaspoon

Garlic Paste- 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder: 1/4 teaspoon

Chili Powder- 1 teaspoon (I used MDH Deghi Mirch)

Ground Cumin-1 teaspoon

Ground Coriander- 1 teaspoon

Dry mango powder- 1/2 teaspoon (I used MDH Amchoor Powder)

Cinnamon sticks- 1-2

Ground Cloves- 1/4 teaspoon

Ground black pepper- 1/4 teaspoon 

EVOO- 2 tablespoons (Any good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Onions, finely chopped- 1 (cut a quarter into  ½" squares)

Green Chills, halfed lengthwise- 2 (use one and remove seeds and white membrane  to control the heat)

Roma Tomatoes, finely chopped- 2 

Cilantro, chopped-  ¼ cup

Juice of half a lemon

Method

Mix Shrimp, minced garlic, chopped ginger, and salt. Add turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/4 teaspoon dry mango powder to the shrimp and let it stand for 15 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon  EVOO in a heavy bottom pan. Add the shrimp and fry until half cooked. You will notice that the shrimp releases water and that's ok. Just cook for about 2 minutes and immediately transfer the shrimp into a bowl. 

Now, add the remaining EVOO to the same pan. Add cinnamon sticks and ground cloves and fry for a second. Add green chilies, ginger and garlic paste. Fry for a second. Be careful as this will splutter. Add onions and sauté for about 3 minutes on medium heat or until golden brown. Add ground black pepper, remaining chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and dry mango power. Add tablespoon of water to the pan mix the spices. Fry for a second. You will see that this masala starts to release oil. 

Add Tomatoes and fry until it releases oil. Add the shrimp. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add half  a cup of water. Cover, simmer on low and let it cook for about 12 minutes. Add lemon juice. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. 

Happy Cooking!