Curried Shrimp Soup over Riced Broccoli

I used to buy store-bought curry powder like everyone else. Hell, I have even purchased store-bought curry sauce once or twice. But that was before I got myself a hot Indian boyfriend. And beyond being hot, he also brought some amazing Anglo-Indian inspired cooking skills to my mountain table. Like teaching me that Indian food is a lot more than just curry powder.

Are you buying your curry powder at Von’s or Stater Brothers? Stop right there, that is your first mistake when making a homemade curry of any kind. Making your own curry powder is so fast and easy and taste and smells way better then any curry powder you will ever buy in a store.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a hot Indian boyfriend to teach them how to make Indian food authentically, but luckily the Hungry Mountaineer has just a few easy pointers on how to make your Indian food taste more authentic and less like dirt.

Seriously though, my mom always told me that she thinks curry tastes like dirt. That was before my hot boyfriend from Bangalore cooked her pork vindaloo for the first time. Indian food, unfortunately, gets a bad rap for many reasons.

• Stop eating at cheap all you can eat Indian buffets. If you are paying ten bucks for an Indian buffet lunch it’s going to taste like Lean Cusine Indian lunch. Just don’t do that to your palette, please.
• Always roast your spices, especially curry powder. Roast the cumin seeds, coriander powder and all those delicious curry powders. If your spices get to dry don’t be afraid to add extra water and roast them so more.
• Don’t ever buy store-bought curry powder. It’s just crap. making your own curry powder is unbelievably easy and you will never go back to store-bought crap curry powder that has probably been sitting on a grocers shelf for years.

Curried Shrimp Soup over Riced Broccoli

1 bag Argentine soup

2 teaspoons ghee

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 a red onion, diced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1-2, Serrano chilies, sliced in half

2 cups lite coconut milk (link)

3 cups fish or shrimp stock

In the ghee cook the red onion ten minutes until very nicely browned. Add the garlic, ginger and chilies. Cook two more minutes. Let this mixture cool five minutes then blend in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan and add the curry powder and 1/2 cup stock. Stir, stir, stir, adding more stock as it cooks down so the gravy never dries out.

Add in the raw shrimp and the rest of the stock, stir until mixed and let simmer fifteen minutes. Add in the coconut milk and serve with sides of lime halves and a sprinkle of fresh mint.

Serve with 2 cups riced broccoli, steamed or cooked in olive oil in a saucepan.

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