Shrimp and Potato Curry without Coconut Milk

With juicy shrimp and melt-in-your mouth potatoes, I love how the spicy savory sauce of this curry explodes with flavor. While traditionally eaten with steaming rice as a comfort food, I love eating this curry over leafy greens - especially at times when I am tired of cold salads. With this dish, I still get my greens and the pops of potato make me feel like I am eating comfort food. And the best part? Dinner is ready in 30 minutes!

Shrimp and Potato Curry

This curry is worth every bite because the intense flavors of slow simmered curried spices and tomato result in a delicious, finger licking sauce that make you just want to eat more. The potatoes absorb all the that lovely flavor and really deepens the intensity of the dish.

What you need for this dish..

The ingredients in this recipe are easily available in supermarkets in the U.S. The unique taste of this dish is not due to any special ingredient but due to the technique of essentially marinating the ingredients in the most concentrated sauce possible to maximize flavor.

Shrimp - I use peeled, deveined, headless, tail on, uncooked frozen shrimp from my local grocery store. Many stores also carry an unpeeled and a cooked version of frozen shrimp. Using the unpeeled version does make an even better sauce - I just don't use it because no one at home wants to peel and eat shrimp. I don't use the cooked frozen version, primarily because I feel that cooking the shrimp in the sauce adds to the flavor.

Tomato - The tomato is essential to this recipe as it not only adds flavor but also helps bulk up and add texture to the sauce. Without the tomato, the sauce tastes like rather oily. A good substitute would be to use add half an onion blended with a cup of water.

Spices - The cumin, coriander, turmeric and chili powder are the main components of the spice flavors. I have cooked this dish without turmeric and it was still good. If you don't have chili powder you can use Sriracha or chili paste is a great substitute. You could also substitute with ketchup (adds sweetness), chili flakes (heat) and paprika (adds color and a smoky flavor).

Potatoes - I like using idaho potatoes because they retain their shape golden potatoes can melt away in the simmering stage.

Jalapeno or chilis- The dish is best made with green chilis however I had none so I substituted with jalapeno.

How to make Shrimp and Potato Curry

This curry is extremely easy to make and very forgiving. Having said that, the greatest danger is overcooking the shrimp.

This recipe guards against over cooking the shrimp by preparing the sauce and potatoes first. The shrimp is added right at the end so that the stove can be turned off as soon as the shrimp is done.

1. Sauté onions in oil and butter - Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, onions and jalapenos, and fry until translucent.
2. Prepare the sauce - Add the garlic and ginger paste, tomato, cumin, coriander, chili, turmeric and salt and fry for about 2-5 minutes. Add a little broth if the spices look too dry otherwise they will burn. Fry the spices until the oil clearly separates.
3. Cook the potatoes till melt-in-your-mouth tender - Add the potatoes and mix with the spice mixture. Cook the potatoes over medium heat adding a little broth as needed so that the potatoes cook in the most concentrated sauce possible. Cover the skillet as needed. Stir occasionally to ensure even distribution of heat and also to make sure that the potatoes don't burn. Continue simmering the potatoes until all the broth has been added and a fork cuts through the potatoes easily about 10-12 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp - Add the shrimp and stir. The shrimp are done when they are clearly opaque and look plump and juicy - about 3-5 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
5. Add the peas - No need to cook them, just stir in for even distribution.
6. Garnish - Sprinkle with the sliced coriander leaves.

This sauce is essentially a lighter version of an Indian curry. In my version, we add butter to the oil for added richness and slow simmer the potatoes in the most concentrated sauce possible for that pop of flavor.

What to serve on the side

The classic way to serve this dish is as a comfort food over steaming rice. However my favorite way to eat this is over leafy greens with a drizzle of lemon. Other ideas include:

• Inside a sandwich - I am not kidding its delicious!
• By itself, with chopped scallion
• With roti or naan
• Over cauliflower rice

Leftovers: Shrimp and Potato Curry is awesome the next day. For optimal flavor, heat up the curry, on low to medium heat on the stovetop and if eating with rice, reheat the rice in the microwave.

Enjoy!