Gulai Labu - Spicy Shrimp And Cucumber Curry
- 3/4 lb medium shrimp
- 3 kirby cucumbers or 1 1/2 regular cucumbers
- 10 medium shallots or 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon white pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 -4 whole dried hot red chilies
- 3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 3/4 cups thick coconut milk or 1 can coconut milk, with coconut below mixed in
- 3/4 - 1 cup finely grated unsweetened coconut (optional)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- Peel and devein the shrimp; wash them and pat them dry.
- Peel the cucumber and cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.
- Peel 7 of the shallots and chop them very finely; peel and finely slice the remaining shallots.
- Peel the garlic cloves; chop 4 of them very finely and cut the other 2 into fine slivers.
- Combine the sliced shallots and slivered garlic and set these aside.
- In a medium-sized pan combine the chopped shallots, chopped garlic, ground coriander, ground fennel (if you cannot get ground fennel seeds, simply grind whole seeds in a clean coffee grinder or food processor), white pepper, ground cumin, turmeric and 2 1/2 cups water.
- Crumble in the red chilies; if you like mild to medium spicy food, you might consider leaving the chilies whole instead: this is what I did for my wife, who cannot easy as spicy food as I can, and she said it was perfect for her tastes.
- Stir and bring to a boil; boil, uncovered, on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cucumber rounds, stir and bring to a simmer; cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Then add the shrimp, salt and sugar; bring to a simmer again and simmer gently for about 1 minute, stirring the shrimps around in the sauce.
- Give the coconut milk a good stir and pour it in.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute, stirring now and then.
- Put the oil in a very small pan or small frying pan and set it over a medium-high heat; when the oil is hot, put in the slivered shallots and garlic.
- Stir and fry until they turn a golden color.
- Add the whole fennel seeds; stir once and quickly pour the contents of the pan (oil and sesasoning) into the pan containing the curry.
- Cover the curry pan immediately to trap all the aromas.
- Serve with rice and enjoy.
- Serves 4-6.
shrimp, kirby cucumbers, shallots, garlic, ground coriander, ground fennel, white pepper, ground cumin, ground turmeric, salt, sugar, coconut milk, unsweetened coconut, vegetable oil, fennel seed
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/gulai-labu-spicy-shrimp-and-cucumber-curry-28548 (may not work)