The warm spices in this gluten free Garam Masala Shrimp with Mango Chutney combine beautifully with the tropical fruit and hint of heat in the chutney. I especially love this dish on a bed of Coconut Rice, but plain white rice is a solid choice as well. Although the Mango Chutney is best when cooked in advance to allow it to thicken and the flavors develop, the Garam Masala Shrimp cooks in about 2 minutes! With a little planning ahead, this can be an amazing weeknight meal.
Simple Mango Chutney
This is one of the easiest sauces to make, it just needs a little time to thicken and for the flavors to meld to be at its best. Begin by sweating the onion, pepper, ginger, garlic and salt in a small saucepan. Once the onions have softened a bit, add in the remaining ingredients. I use vanilla bean paste because I like the bean flecks, but it is perfectly fine to use a good quality vanilla extract if you prefer. Allow the mixture to heat up and the sugar to begin to dissolve. Then turn the heat to low and let it simmer for up to 2 hours.
The longer it simmers, the thicker the chutney will be and the more the ingredients will break down. It all comes down to preference here. There’s no right or wrong in my book. You can enjoy this right off the stove while it is warm or let it cool and thicken in the fridge and enjoy it cold.
Easy Garam Masala Shrimp
Season and cook. That’s all there is to it! Rinse and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Next, coat them with your choice of fat (I like ghee the best) and vanilla. I use vanilla paste for the bean flecks, but extract works great too. Then sprinkle on the dry seasonings and mix it all together well so that they are coated evenly.
Lay the shrimp out on a baking sheet to broil them or pop them in a hot frying pan and cook them for about 2 minutes (give or take). Serve them up right away!
Tempered Topping
Although you don’t NEED to add the topping, it does add flavor and crunch. This is a step I picked up from watching several of my Indian friends cook over the years. Many dishes and chutneys are finished with a mix of spices that have been toasted quickly in oil. The minute or two that it takes to temper the seeds is well worth the effort in my opinion. But you can skip it if you's like. Begin by heating a tablespoon of oil or ghee in a pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds and heat them until the mustard seeds start to pop. Then pour this mixture of flavorful oil and crunchy spices over the shrimp when you are ready to eat.
Shrimp Tips
I like to buy shrimp that is already peeled and deveined to save time then I remove the tails myself. Cooking shrimp with the tails on adds flavor and can make for a more appealing presentation, but removing them makes them easier to eat. The preference is yours! I like the 11-15 sized shrimp (which means approximately 11 to 15 shrimp in a pound) which results in a dinner serving of 4 large shrimp. The day I made this dish for the post, the only available shrimp were 21-25, therefore each serving gets more pieces of smaller shrimp. No big deal! It still tastes amazing!
The hardest part about making shrimp is not overcooking it. Watch it like a hawk. Depending on the size of the shrimp, it will only take around 2 minutes for them to cook through. They will keep cooking when you remove them from the oven or take the pan off the stove, so it is better to remove them when they are just barely done than to wait. As soon as they turn opaque, get them off the heat.
Friends of Garam Masala Shrimp with Mango Chutney
- Coconut Rice
- Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala
- Priya’s Pasta Salad
- Curried Chicken Salad
- Chicken Sausage & Potato Sheet Pan
Garam Masala Shrimp with Mango Chutney
Ingredients
Mango Chutney
- ½ cup onion - small dice
- ¼ cup poblano pepper - small dice
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - minced, add more if you'd like
- 1 clove fresh garlic - minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen mango - small dice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract - I use the paste for the bean flecks
Garam Masala Shrimp
- 1 Lb shrimp - peeled, deveined; I use 11-15 size when possible
- 2 tablespoon ghee - butter, avocado or coconut oil work too
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract - I use the paste for the bean flecks
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon tumeric
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red chili powder - *optional & use any type you like
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro - finely chopped for topping
Tempered Topping *Optional
- 1 tablespoon ghee - butter, avocado or coconut oil work too
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
Instructions
- Plan to make the Mango Chutney several hours prior to needing it or it can be made several days in advance and stored in a well-sealed container in the fridge.
- In a small saucepan, combine the onion, peppers, ginger, garlic & salt over a medium-low heat until softened but not browned.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well. Allow it to come up to heat and the sugar to begin to dissolve, then turn to the lowest heat setting on your cooktop.
- Let simmer and reduce, stirring from time to time for approximately 2 hours. Let cool to room temp and use right away or store covered in the fridge and serve cold. It will thicken as it cools.
Garam Masala Shrimp
- Rinse and pat the shrimp dry. Leave the tails on for added flavor or remove for easy eating.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shrimp with the oil and vanilla. Stir to coat evenly. Note that if the shrimp are very cold and you are using butter or coconut oil, it may begin to harden and clump. Sprinkle on the dry seasonings (garam masala, turmeric, salt and chili powder, if using it). Stir to coat the shrimp evenly with the seasonings.
- Heat a skillet to a medium high heat and add the shrimp, stirring to cook the shrimp evenly & quickly until just barely opaque. Or in the highest rack of your oven, broil on high on a well-greased baking sheet for 1-2 minutes or until just barely opaque.
Tempered Topping *Optional
- Over a medium high setting on your cooktop, heat the remaining oil in a small skillet. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle and pop. The cumin should brown a bit.
Serving:
- Transfer the cooked shrimp to a serving dish. Drizzle the hot oil & fried cumin and mustard seeds on top of the shrimp, then scatter with chopped cilantro. Serve with white or coconut rice and mango chutney.
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