MANGALORE FRIED SHRIMP (Jhinga Mangaloree)

MANGALORE FRIED SHRIMP (Jhinga Mangaloree)

From Suvir Saran’s Indian Home Cooking: A Fresh Introduction to Indian Food, with More Than 150 Recipes (Clarkson Potter/Publishers)

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This dish is from the southern Indian coastal state of Karnataka, where seafood is an important part of the diet. The shrimp has extraordinary flavor. I sometimes vary the recipe by adding 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut along with the mustard seeds, or 2 to 6 chopped small fresh green chiles with the scallion. Serve with Green Chutney or lemon wedges, Lemon Rice, and a raita.

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

4 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or black mustard seeds

6 fresh or 10 frozen curry leaves, torn into pieces (optional)

3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion

Salt to taste

Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry on paper towels. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with the cayenne, turmeric, mustard powder, and lemon juice. Stir gently to coat the shrimp evenly with the spices. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the shrimp have marinated, combine the oil, cumin or mustard seeds, and curry leaves, if using, in a large wok, frying pan, or kadai over medium-high heat. Cover, if using mustard seeds (the seeds splatter and pop), and cook until the cumin darkens and/or you hear the mustard seeds crackle, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, 30 seconds, stirring often.

Add the chopped scallion and cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink all over, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

4. Add the cooked, cooled rice and stir gently (careful not to break the grains) until the rice is uniformly yellow. Then drizzle the water all around the rim of the pan and stir again, gently, scraping the bottom to loosen the spices that stick. 


5. Add the lemon juice and cook, uncovered, until the rice is warmed through, about 2 more minutes. Stir gently once or twice during cooking, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the spices from sticking. Taste for lemon and salt and serve hot with lemon or lime wedges, if you like.