One-Pot Wonders

Indian Shrimp Curry with Cauliflower and Pumpkin

November 19, 2017
4.5
11 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

This curry combines all of the flavor groups—salty, sweet, sour, and spicy—in one richly-flavored dish. You could easily make it vegetarian by omitting the shrimp (and even adding tofu), or substitute in firm-fleshed white fish. —Catherine Lamb

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or canola)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 yellow onion, finely sliced
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 cups cubed pumpkin (or squash)
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 1 teaspoon serrano chile, sliced lengthwise in half
  • 8 fresh curry leaves
  • 12 raw shrimp, cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind juice
  • 1 1/2 cans coconut milk (600 ml)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 cup seafood stock (or water)
  • Coriander, for serving
Directions
  1. Toast fennel, cumin, and coriander in a dry saucepan over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush until finely ground. Add turmeric and salt and mix.
  2. Add oil to a medium saucepan and heat until shimmering. Add ginger, garlic, and onion and cook for two minutes. Add mustard seeds, anise seeds, and spice mix, and cook for another two minutes. Mix in the pumpkin and cook one minute more.
  3. Add stock (or water), chili, tamarind juice, and sugar, and stir. Cook for five minutes.
  4. Add the cauliflower and coconut milk, stir, taste, and add salt if needed. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until sauce is reduced and cauliflower and pumpkin are tender.
  5. Add in shrimp and cook until they're pink, firm, and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Serve curry over jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

4 Reviews

Adrienne L. October 16, 2020
Four stars! The curry was delicious, and I'm really only leaving off a star because the recipe needs editing for clarity (see previous posts), and possibly suggestions for substitutions if some ingredients are not available. I had to sub dried curry leaves for fresh (Amazon), and dilute down some tamarind concentrate (already had on hand) for the juice. I used the curry leaves in step 3 as the recipe doesn't specify, and it turned out great!
Michelle M. March 21, 2020
03/21/20. 5 STARS: This is a delightful curry. I used some curry ingredients for the first time (powdered curry leaves, tamarind) plus the star anise. The mixture of spices was complex, light and almost flowery. My husband and I loved it - I will definitely make this recipe again..
Jocelynl November 3, 2019
There were a few spices in the recipe that didn't make it to the instructions so we just added them in. We didn't have any tamarind juice so we left it out and we used curry powder place of curry leaves. Used a 400ml can of low fat coconut milk and stock - and even with less stock it was plenty saucy. The result was lick you bowl good! Next time we make it we're going to also add eggplant and maybe switch the protein up.
Bunnilein December 5, 2017
This looks wonderful and I’m in the middle of making it. BUT...there are no anise seeds (maybe you meant the star anise?) in the ingredients list and no mention of the curry leaves in the instructions. Gulp.