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Coconut Curry Shrimp with Ginger and Lemongrass

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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds large (16-20 size) shrimp peeled, deveined and defrosted if frozen
  • 3-4 tbsp of a neutral oil I like sunflower or grapeseed
  • 1 yellow onion diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic smash and chopped
  • A 1-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass see note on lemongrass at the bottom
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • ½-1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
  • ½ tsp dried chili flakes or 1 whole long red chili or 1 Thai bird chili sliced in rounds, optional
  • 1 bunch of Thai basil or regular basil leaves only
  • 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

To Serve

  • 1 jalapeno finely chopped
  • Handful cilantro leaves roughly chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat a heavy-duty fry pan or cast iron pan over med-high heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent and golden, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass, sauté for another minute or two.  Add the curry powder, mix into the onion mixture, cook for another minute.
  • Add the coconut milk.  And the water to the empty can of coconut milk, swish it around the can and dump that water into the pan with the coconut milk, let it boil, add the lime juice, salt, and chilis.  Let the sauce boil and reduce for about 6-7 minutes.  Taste the sauce, add more salt, chilis or lime to taste.  At this point, you can refrigerate the sauce and heat it back up when you are ready to use it.
  • Add the shrimp to the pan, let cook for 10 minutes or so, they should be pink and opaque. 
  • Add the basil and spinach.  Let the sauce thicken so that it coats the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Transfer it all to a serving dish (or serve right from the pan) and garnish with chopped jalapeno, cilantro, green onion.
  • Serve with the cooked rice and lime wedges.

Notes

LEMONGRASS
Cut the root end off the lemongrass and then cut the lemongrass where the white part meets the greener part (you only use the white part), discard the root end and the darker part.  Slice the piece of lemongrass in half in the length and remove the outside two layers of the lemongrass, this part is too tough, discard.  Then chop the white part very finely, alternatively, you can slice the lemongrass into julienned slivers and people will pick them out as they eat.  You can freeze any unused stalks of lemongrass, chopped or left whole.