Salad shrimp stir-fry is a mouth-watering recipe for all the shrimp lovers of Kerala, India. Cooked, peeled, and deveined salad shrimp is available in most American grocery stores. Peeling and deveining is the hardest job when it comes to cooking shrimp. Since the salad shrimp comes clean in a packet, this is one of the quick shrimp stir-fries to make. The inspiration for this stir-fry comes from my mom’s fish stir-fry (fish peera). Fish-stir fry is a way of cooking the tiny fishes. I experimented the same recipe with salad shrimp, and it came out delicious. The salad strip is cooked with sauteed onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, shredded coconut, and kudampuli (gambodge). As the curry sits in the pot, the kudampuli will release its flavor. It is almost like a smoked tamarind flavor. It is also known as fish tamarind because it is the secret ingredient used in seafood in Kerala.
Garcinia Cambogia (Kudampuli)
The scientific name for kudampuli is garcinia cambogia. It is a common ingredient used in fish curry in Kerala, India. It is well known all over the world as a superfood for weight loss. When ripens, the garcinia cambogia (kudampuli) almost looks like a small yellow pumpkin. Later it is seeded, sun-dried, and smoked until it turns dark. In Ayurveda, kudampuli is used as a medicine to promote digestion, and it is also in medications for arthritis, uterine deceases, and ulcers.
The tiny salad strip is rich in protein, sodium, potassium, iron, calcium and many more nutrients. When all these superfoods are combined, you get a very delicious and healthy shrimp stir-fry.
Cuisine: Kerala
Course: Side dish
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 min
Servs: 6-7
Ingredients
1 lb (16 oz) bag of cooked salad shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, sliced
3 tablespoons minced ginger
10-12 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chile, sliced rounds
2 sprigs curry leaves, stem removed
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (uluva)
2 tablespoons chile powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon black paper powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 pieces of garcinia cambogia (kudampuli)
2-3 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup of shredded coconut
Directions
1. Wash kudampuli (garcinia cambogia) in water to remove any dust from sun drying and smoking. Then soak it in water 1-2 inches above the kudampuli.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to pop. Then Add uvula and let it pop.
3. Saute onion, ginger, garlic, green chile, and curry leaves
4. Add chile powder, turmeric powder, black paper powder and stir.
5. Add the soaked kudampuli and water. Add one more cup of water
6. Add the shredded coconut and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix everything, cover with a lid and boil on high flame
7. Mix in the salad strip, cover with a lid and let it boil.
8. Remove the lid and add the salt. Stir until curry is dry.
9. Turn off the stove and serve with some warm rice.
Tips: As the curry sits in the pot, the kudampuli will release its flavor. You can find kudampuli in Indian grocery stores.
