Stir Fried Shrimps with Curry Leaves

Stir Fried Shrimps with Curry Leaves

We had shrimps for dinner yesterday. At least one of the cuisines was stir fried shrimps with curry leaves. Curry leaves is an important ingredient in Baba Nyonya cooking and many of the recipes in South East Asia. It is the special aroma that we want from the curry leaves. The leaves don't usually emits any smell when they are fresh but the aroma is really wonderful when the leaves are cooked. And we use the curry leaves in nearly everything that is spicy or curry. But for the beautiful aroma.

Black Pepper and Curry Leaves

This plant don't really grow in the wild but mostly are cultivated or grown domestically in homes. I would usually buy a bunch of the curry leaves from any Asian grocery store and dry them at home by the window where there is a lot of sun. It normally takes about two to three days to properly dehydrate off the moisture. Then, I would store the dried leaves in a bottle and kept in the cabinet. That way, I have a lot more use for the curry leaves and store them for longer periods.

Aromatic Curry Leaves

As for the stir fried shrimps with curry leaves, start with a hot wok or frying pan. Make sure the shrimps are dried of access liquid. Once the wok is hot, add three spoons of butter or margarine. Followed by throwing in the shrimps (unpeeled but heads removed) into the wok. Start stirring and continue to avoid burning. Throw in the curry leaves (a handful), sprinkle some black pepper and a pinch of salt in the wok. The shrimps will turn to red when cooked. But only transfer to a serving plate when there are some burned marks on the skin of the shrimps. The curry leaves will provide the nice aroma to the shrimp cuisine.