Indian-Inspired Shrimp Orzo Curry

meat & seafoodindianfish & seafoodlunchdinneritalianfusion

Jul 12

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The magic of this Indian-Inspired Shrimp Orzo Curry comes from the potatoes and peas in addition to aromatic Indian spices. Try this out for a flavourful dinner that'll take you around the globe.

Orzo curry is an exciting fusion of Indian with Italian and Thai elements. While I quite like curry - like why wouldn’t anyone! - I was getting bored of rice or bread with curry. My girlfriend, who is truly obsessed with pasta, read about a curry made with orzo pasta. While I call this a curry, you may not see any gravy in this dish. That’s mainly because I use the delicious gravy to cook the pasta, so the flavours are cooked into each grain of the orzo. This dish can also easily be veggie-fied by adding more vegetables such as carrots and peppers during the sautéing step.

The Journey to This Recipe

Once I heard about this recipe, I decided to start developing my own style by referring to popular options. The problem that I found with most recipes is that they use ready-made curry powder and Thai red curry paste. While I truly enjoy Thai food, I prefer creating the base of the curry from scratch.

This took me on a series of failed experiments with a variety of store-bought curry powders and red curry paste. Until, one day, I said to myself - enough! That’s when I decided to think of my favourite parts of Indian, Italian and Thai flavours and merge them together.

The orzo acts as the “rice” in this dish and its creamy texture tickles your tongue. The coconut milk brings an essence of Thai cuisine, while it also has elements of South Indian cuisine. These various elements are combined with the Indian masala and is married together by the combination of spices

The best way to describe this dish would be to actually prepare it and experience it. And don’t get intimidated by the long ingredient list, most of it is just spices you may already have in your cabinet!

The Key to this Curry

I think the key is the special spice blend. In this dish, I use a combination of whole spices and ground spices. The whole spices includes cardamom, both the green and the black cardamom. Both the spices are listed as optional if you are having a hard time finding these spices at the store. While both green and black cardamom come from the same plant family, they taste completely different.

Green cardamom is usually used to add a subtle sweetness to dishes and has an intoxicating flavour.

On the other hand, black cardamom has a more pungent, smoky flavour.

Additionally, I use classic Indian spices such as cumin seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and turmeric. These spices help make onion and tomato-based masala for this curry.

Green peas and cilantro help add bright fresh flavours while the coconut milk adds a wonderful creaminess and subdues the flavours from the masala. Finally, the shrimp is simply steamed in the residual heat from the pan to ensure the shrimp stay juicy and tender.

I don’t think I have disclosed one of the most important ingredients that really completes this dish. It’s the potatoes! First, they’re boiled then they are sautéed with cumin and turmeric. We’ll then toss them in the final curry. Potatoes actually go hand in hand with both Indian and Thai curries. I use Yukon gold or yellow potatoes for this step. I find the earthiness from the turmeric with the cumin goes really well with the natural waxiness of the potatoes and the starchiness from the orzo.

Watch How to Make Indian-Inspired Shrimp Orzo Curry Here:

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!

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Indian, fusion, dinner, fish & seafood, meat & seafood

Indian

https://youtu.be/-ko8qi4ax10https://youtu.be/-ko8qi4ax10Here is a lush dinner recipe that you're sure to love! This is an Indian-inspired shrimp orzo curry. Brought from the Indian roots is a cumin-spiced potato added to the pasta as well as peas, coconut milk, and other Indian spices. This is almost an entirely one-pot dinner and it's perfect for the whole family!2018-09-03

Yield: 4

Author: Anadi

Indian-Inspired Shrimp Orzo Curry

The magic of this shrimp orzo curry comes from the potatoes and peas in addition to aromatic Indian spices. Try this out for a flavourful dinner that'll take you around the globe.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

For the potatoes

300 g yellow potatoes
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

For the orzo

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 green cardamom (optional)
1 black cardamom (optional)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp garlic
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
7-8 oz orzo pasta
1/2 Cup green peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 Cup coconut milk
7 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

For the potatoes

Cut the potato into 1 inch dice and boil until cooked, you should be able to easily prick it with a fork.
Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add the oil and the cumin seeds. Let them cook out until they reach a reddish-brown colour.
Then, add the boiled potatoes into the pan. Season with salt and turmeric and cook them out until they are a light crispy golden brown. Set aside for use later

For the orzo

Heat a pan on medium heat. Add oil and once the pan is hot, if you are using, add both the green and black cardamom. Then, add the cumin seeds. If you are not using the cardamom, directly add the cumin seeds.
Add onions, ginger and garlic. Cook until the onions are slightly browned.
Add the tomatoes and mix well. Season with ground cumin, coriander, red chilli powder, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and break down. Keep stirring every other minute to prevent them from sticking. Add 1/4 cup water if the mixture gets too dry.
Add the orzo pasta. Cook and stir for about one minute. Then add 1/2 cup of water and bring it up to a boil.
Once the water has come up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the pasta, stirring once every few minutes to ensure the pasta does not stick to the bottom. Add more water as necessary until pasta is al dente.
Check for seasoning, then add the peas, coconut milk and the cooked potatoes. Stir well and then arrange the shrimp over the top.
Cover the pan with a lid and let the steam cook out the shrimp for about three minutes. Serve hot and enjoy :)