Here is an real easy recipe for a very fulfilling snack or meal. Some cooked fish and then add “whatever” you want, some spice for a kick and you have these crispy, flaky patties.

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Fish cooked in a spicy sauce, flavored with nigella seeds, hot green peppers and cooked in mustard oil is a recipe very close to my heart. Memories churn, my heart and body warm up, images slide by and the taste lingers as I savor the peppery fish curry with some hot steamed rice on this chilly winter afternoon.

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Sometimes food  from the Indian Sub Continent make the vibrant appearance in bright orange or red color, along with some grilled onions & peppers, making them look extremely appetizing. It could be meat, fish or cheese; and when you bite into them they are delicately succulent wonders. These are the well known “Tandoori” or “Tikka” – meat, fish/shrimp or paneer (Indian Cheese) marinated in very flavorful spices & cooked slowly & gently in a Tandoor. Now what is a Tandoor?

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for Hay Hay it’s Donna Day !

My Daughter has a love affair with Shrimp. I have too, but her intensity far surpasses mine. She is the reason I am always trying out different things with Shrimp. I happen to grill shrimps quite often, and this Satay Shrimp had been a pleasure every time. How nice does it feel, when you see that twinkling eyes shine so bright when she comes back from school & asks, “Whats for dinner, Mama?” & I kid around with her saying all the things that she does not like… see her groan & whine, and then I say… “It’s Shrimp Day for you!” , I say… It is a special treat for her every single time.

So when I saw “Satay”, for Hay Hay it’s Donna Day, I knew I had to share this recipe.

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This is one of those tasty recipes which can be created in jiffy when you are in a time crunch, yet you crave for something to fulfill your taste buds and hunger. The toasted sesame gives a subtle nutty flavor and you can add any vegetable you want.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked rice (I use Sona Masoori white rice)
½ pound medium raw shrimp – deveined and shelled
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons of Tangy Hot Oil (If this is not handy, just use regular oil mixed with a teaspoon of any hot sauce)
½ medium sized Onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped and mashed
4 stalks of Celery chopped
½ cup Peas
½ cup chopped Carrots
3 Sprigs of Spring Onion (some cut in angles and some chopped fine)
Salt
2 teaspoons Vinegar
2 tablespoons Oil
1 tablespoon Oil
1.5 tablespoons of Sesame Seeds

Preparation:

Toast the sesame seeds on a skillet till they are light brown but not burnt. Set aside.

Coat Shrimp with lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and let it marinate for about 10 minutes. Heat the Hot Oil in the pan, and sauté the shrimps till they are pink and curled up. Set aside.

Wash the rice thoroughly to drain away the extra starch, cook it in 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon Oil. When all the water evaporates from the top, lower the heat to minimum and cover it for about 10 minutes. Switch off the heat and let it stay covered for another few minutes. The rice at this stage should be separate and long and not sticky and mushy. (Alternatively use a Rice Cooker and follow Instructions).

Spread out the rice in a plate, sprinkle Vinegar on it, toss and let it sit for about 15 minutes. In the mean time heat oil and add the garlic and onions. Stir them in oil for a minute and add the carrots, celery and peas. Fry at high heat till all the water disappears. Add salt and the rice, stir gently and cook for a few more minutes. Switch off the heat and add the Spring onions, the Shrimps and the toasted Sesame seeds. Toss and Cover for 10 more minutes.

Serve Hot.

Chingri  Maacher Malaikari is an old Bengali Classics. I have grown up in this East Indian State (West Bengal), having to eat (and loving every bite and moment of it) this simply marvelous dish in every special occasions, be it be a birthday, or a houseful evening guests. My dad would have to go to the Sunderbans for work, and we all waited till late night knowing that he would get the fresh jumbo prawns/shrimps and next day would be the grandiose Chingri  maacher malaikari.

This is cooked with coconut milk, which is very easily available here in cans making the process much more easy and faster.

Here I am sharing with you the way my mom always cooked chingri maacher malaikari.

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb uncooked deveined Prawn/Shrimp
2. 1.5 tablespoons of ginger paste
3. 2 Small Green Cardamoms
4. 2” stick of Cinnamon
5. 2 Bay Leaves
6. 3/4 can Coconut milk
7. Salt to taste
8. ½ teaspoon of sugar
9. 1 teaspoon of turmeric
10. 1 teaspoon of red chili powder
11. 2 slit Hot Green Peppers.
12. 2 tablespoons Ghee (Clarified Butter)
13. 1 teaspoon oil
14. 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut(optional)
15. 1/2 teaspoon Jeera/Cumin seeds

Preparation:

Shell the Shrimps and baste with   ¾ spoon of turmeric, little bit of salt and  half the amount of red chili powder. Let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Heat about the oil and lightly sauté the shrimps till they are almost done.

Heat the Ghee.  Add the cracked cardamoms, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Once they start sizzling, add Cumin, the green hot peppers and the ginger paste.

Fry for sometimes till the ghee leaves the sides of the pan. Be careful and see that the paste does not burn and turn dark brown.

Add the sautéed Shrimps, sugar, salt, and the rest of the chili powder and turmeric and the coconut milk & the shredded coconut. Boil this till the coconut milk start getting creamy. You will see little bubbles coming up.

Gently stir for some more time and when the gravy coats the spoon you will know that its done.

Serve with white basmati rice.