East: Bengal Lancers Shrimp Curry (Jhinka Masala)

1 lb Medium shrimp, peeled,

-deveined, tails left on 1/2 ts Salt

1/4 ts Turmeric

1/2 ts Mustard seeds

1 ts Cumin seeds

4 Whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 Half-inch piece fresh

-ginger, peeled 2 Dried red chiles, stemmed

1 tb Lemon juice

2 tb Mustard oil or light olive

-oil 1 c Finely chopped onion

1 1/2 c Chopped tomato

1/4 c To 1/2 cup water

Freshly cooked basmati or -long-grain rice Sprinkle shrimp with salt and turmeric. Toss well to coat; cover and set aside for 15 minutes. Combine mustard, cumin, garlic, ginger, chiles and lemon juice in a blender and puree. Set aside. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add pureed spice mixture. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato and cook until soft. Add shrimp, stir gently to coat them evenly. Pour in the water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until shrimp are just opaque, about 5 minutes. Mound rice into heated serving plates. Spoon curry over and serve. Note: Basmati rice has a distinctive nutty flavor. It is available at Indian, Middle Eastern, some specialty food stores and supermarkets.