Note: This drawing is now closed. Have you seen Anjum Anand’s show on Cooking Channel yet? It originally aired in the U.K. on BBC, and I was lucky to be able to import and publish one of her cookbooks here in the U.S. That means besides a little Americanization, I didn’t edit the book myself, but I’m still really proud of it. Don’t take my word for it. Epicurious just announced their choices for the six best cookbooks of 2010, and Anjum’s New Indian made the short list.
Now that the weather has cooled off, I figured it was a good time to try my hand at a few of the recipes. I stopped by my local Indian shops to stock up on spices — a lot of spices.
Like many Indian recipes, this one starts off by cooking spices like cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon sticks in oil. Then you add chopped onion. It calls for making a paste of ginger and garlic from scratch, but if you do a lot of Indian cooking, you might have some jarred ginger-garlic paste, which would probably work well here.
Then it’s time for more spices — turmeric, ground coriander, and salt. I love how that looks.
Fortunately I was still able to get some decent-looking tomatoes in the market. You add those with a whole green chile or two. One problem — I couldn’t find fresh curry leaves, and so I was a little worried the dish might not turn out right.
After the whole mixture has had some time to cook, you add coconut milk and water, and that’s when this dish gets really interesting.
In goes a pound of peeled shrimp. A finishing touch is some tamarind paste, added after you take the pan off the heat.
The result… just about the most amazing curry dish I’ve ever tasted. Jen joked she was licking the bowl clean, it’s that good. The book is packed with amazing recipes, but this one might be worth the price alone. If you want to test a few out, you can try some of the recipes posted on Amazon. Then let me know what you think. And if you’re still reading, U.S. residents who post a comment will be entered into a drawing for a free copy of the book!
this looks incredible. i can only imagine how it tastes! count me in..
believe it or not, i think it tastes better than it looks
Oh, my mouth is watering! It’s been so long since I’ve had a solid curry… And I could very easily use seitan or tofu instead of shrimp. I’d sure love this book!
i think tofu would be great in this
If this recipe is any indication of how great the book is then I may just need to add it to my wishlist. This curry looks amazing Justin.
thanks
oh wow that sounds wonderful! i have a hard time making Indian dishes that taste really flavorful–i’ll have to take a look at the book and see what secrets i’ve been missing!
this is one of those recipes where you almost can’t believe how well it turns out
That looks delicious and hearty, I’ve never made my own curry, I have to put it on my to-do list!
that definitely surprises me, but if I was going to recommend a first-time-curry recipe to try, this would be it.
Is it weird that I want to eat this right now for breakfast?
actually i was just wishing i had some leftovers to eat this morning
ooOoo i’ve never made indian food myself but i love to eat it! pick me please!
i’ve gone years at a time without making Indian food, but it’s amazing how good it can be when you make it yourself.
When you threw in the shrimp I knew I was in heaven! I’m salivating over all this tastiness. I have seen Anjum Anand’s show before and every time it makes me hungry
finally someone entering the drawing who has seen the show!
justin that is a really good photo! seriously.
i am so thankful that the cooking channel is here. there are so many really good cooking shows that have a wide range of diversity and cooking skills intertwined. i have not seen her show yet BUT (don’ count me out!) I saw the preview/snippet for it and NOW must see it.
thanks so much. I aqgree that the Cooking Channel is offering a lot of great stuff — a wide range.
I had no idea that she had a book out. I’ve watched her show on the Cooking Channel and her food always looks so good and easy to make as well. If I don’t win, this will go on my ever expanding Amazon wish list. There have been so many good cookbooks out this year!
She’s actually written a few books, but I think this is the first time a U.S. publisher has officially published one. It’s pretty awesome.
It amazes me how much longer it seems to take to get the books here in the U.S. Looking forward to this one! Thanks for the post as well as I otherwise might have missed this book.
I’m not eligible for this giveaway since I live outside the US, but I just wanted to say how much I love Anjum Anand’s show and recipes! Your version of her shrimp curry would make Anjum proud, I’m sure. Btw, have you stopped by Patel Brothers in Jackson Heights? It probably has the curry leaves you’re looking for.
oh, I was true to the recipe except I couldn’t find the curry leaves. Anyway, yes, I’m sure I could get those leaves in Jackson Heights, but I wasn’t able to make a trip like that on the day I made the recipe. That’s the great thing about NYC — you can find just about anything if you have the time to make a trip.
definitively adding this to my wish list too!!! Indian food is my nemesis…I can never get it perfect (and I am a good cook!). I can smell the aromas already… mmm…turmeric, coriander, curry leaves…
this book seems to make it easy (as the title promises), even for people like me with little experience making Indian food
Love Indian food. I have to say that even when you don’t have all the ingredients (like curry leaves) it usually turns out pretty good. Maybe not authentic but… still tasty.
i totally agree with you. in fact, i’m not sure if i’ve ever had ALL of the ingredients when i’ve made an Indian recipe
There’s very little that gets me going more than a new Indian cookbook to check out! I love the sound of this curry and just looking at the ingredients in it makes me know it must be delicious. Great giveaway!
thanks… this is definitely a great book
Mmm I adore the Cooking Channel. I haven’t caught Anjum’s show yet but I love watching Indian cooking because I can almost smell the warm spices through the television!
ha, totally
I’ve not heard of the chef nor the cookbook, nor seen the show. But with your recommendation of the most amazing curry ever, I’ve would really like to win this book. If I don’t it will go on my Amazon wish list.
good luck!
Oh I can’t wait to check this book out. I love Indian food, but haven’t really made it at home (other than a disastrous attempt at mushroom mattar that I have since blocked out of my memory). That curry looks fantastic! Yay!
ha, I want to know more about that mushroom dish
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Yum! this receipe looks delicious.
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