Back... and frying

First it was the sightseeing with my in laws, then the move to a new apartment, then a road trip... and well, blogging kept taking a back seat to it all. One good thing though, I realized I am not as obssessed with my itty bitty space on the web as I thought!

It's only after I received dire threats from my most avid readers (that would be my family) did I click on the 'New Post' button. The 'comeback' recipe is fried shrimp - nothing short of our favorite food could have coaxed me out my hibernation. Any form of fried seafood is considered a complete meal in my family, or at least an essential food group!

Back home when my mother fried shrimp for dinner, my brother and I would make her count each piece and place it on our plate. 4 for him, 4 for me. Of equal size too. I think we'd have measured them if we could!! What can I say? Fried shrimp is known to induce such extreme behaviour.

(4 for me, 3 for my husband!)

BHAJILE SUNGTA (Fried Shrimp)
10-12 medium raw shrimp
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
salt
either coarse rice flour or semolina for dredging
oil to shallow fry

Devein shrimp, wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Add all seasoning and apply evenly to shrimp. No swishing around in a ziploc bag a la Food Network chefs please. Cover and let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Dredge each shrimp in rice flour or semolina so it's well coated. Shake off excess.

Heat your pan* on medium-low heat. Drizzle oil all over (not too much, you don't want oily sea food). Place shrimp on pan so they don't touch each other. Fry for 3-4 minutes until they become crisp. Turn over and fry on the other side. Add a little more oil if necessary. Remove on absorbent paper when done.

* I use my trusted cast iron griddle for frying. It gives me the same crispy, non oily texture that I grew up eating (everyone used cast iron in India until non stick picked up in the 80s). Cast iron retains heat better and distributes it evenly so you get great results every time. Besides the surface just gets better with use.
* Other options for frying - silver and black pomfret, head or tail on shrimp, bombay duck, kingfish, mackerel etc.