Shrimp (aka prawn) often gets a bad rap for being high in cholesterol but when I asked my friend Saba Umar who is an accredited nutritionist , this is what she had to say , “Shrimp is actually not that bad. Its like egg. Yes, it has cholesterol but not all of it is bad cholesterol. Especially compared to mutton and other red meat, shrimp is actually a better option.”
Shrimp is high in several vitamins and minerals, and is a rich source of protein. Eating shrimp may also promote heart and brain health due to its content of omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant astaxanthin.
I also love the fact that it barely takes few minutes to cook shrimps. In fact, overcooking makes it tough and rubbery. This Shrimp Stir Fry recipe can be prepared in less than 15 minutes if you have all ingredients chopped and ready on hand. It is convenient enough for a weeknight meal when paired with daal-chawal (lentils and boiled rice) or rotis (Indian flatbreads) and fancy enough to be on a dawat (party) menu along with all the meaty dishes.
One common complaint I often hear about seafood is it’s ‘fishy’ smell. Since this particular recipe uses ginger and garlic along with a variety of dry spices , there’s hardly any smell but if you want to be sure you can try this flour trick for any kind of shrimp or fish. Just sprinkle some aata (whole wheat flour) generously on defrosted shrimp and leave for about 10 minutes. Wash it thoroughly and cook as usual.
I prefer to use large sized peeled, deveined, tail off shrimps for this recipe but you can choose to use medium sized tail on shrimp too.
Spicy Shrimp Jalfrezi
Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with onions, bell peppers and Indian spices
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Shrimp Large Peeled, deveined, tail off
- 3 tbsp Cooking oil
- 2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Orange Juice
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder Or according to taste
- 1 tbsp Tikka Boti Masala/ Seekh Kabab Masala Preferably Shan brand
- Salt According to taste
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper Sliced
- 1/2 Green Bell Pepper Sliced
- 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper Sliced
- Chopped Cilantro For Garnishing
Instructions
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Heat oil in a large skillet and add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a few seconds until raw smell goes away.
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Add shrimps and sauté on high heat till light pink.
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Add orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce and all dry spices. Be careful while adding salt and red chilli powder as Tikka Masala also contains salt and chilli powder.
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Add sliced onions and sauté for few seconds.
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Add sliced bell peppers and sauté lightly .Vegetables should remain crunchy.
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Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with rice or roti.
Recipe Notes
- To get rid of any smell wash the shrimps with whole wheat flour before cooking. Sprinkle aata (whole wheat flour) generously on raw shrimps. Keep aside for 10-15 minutes. Wash off thoroughly before cooking.
- Mix all dry spices and keep other ingredients also handy before starting to cook so that they can be added quickly as shrimps turn rubbery if overcooked.
