Pickled Shrimp- Kerala Style

Among many other things, Kerala cuisine is popular for its lip-smacking zesty meat and seafood pickles. These pickles are so astonishingly flavorful that it is hard to believe they are so easy to make. Owe it to my Godmother, Auntie M’s influence, I always carry a jar or two of these in my fridge. I usually make them on cold weary days when I have nothing much else to do and seek refuge in my warm kitchen. They always come in handy at times when I’m too lazy to move a finger let alone cook (which happens more often than not) or when I hear my husband yawn while setting the dinner table.

shrimp2

Though the following recipe talks about shrimp, you could use any boneless fleshy fish diced into bite size chunks. Traditionally, these pickles are made by deep frying the shrimp or fish which really toughens it up. But, I think it is unnecessary to deprive the meat of all its moisture when you are anyway storing it in the fridge. So here’s the deal. Unless you want to keep your pickles forever say like a year or two and don’t have a refrigerator, then deep fry them. But, if you think you have enough space in your fridge for a jar or two of these and you have a family of gluttons (like I do), who will wipe them clean before you know it, shallow fry them until they are just cooked. It makes a world of difference in taste and texture. This stays perfectly fine for months and the older they get the tastier they become.

Ingredients:
1lb medium sized, deveined and shelled shrimp
1 tbsp red chili powder
1/4 cup finely sliced ginger
1/4 cup finely sliced garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds powder
2 – 3 pinches of asafoetida powder
3 green chilies finely chopped
1/2 tsp whole black pepper corns
1 – 2 sprigs of curry leaves
1/4 cup vinegar
oil as required (I use sesame oil – the golden, cold-pressed kind not the dark brown from toasted seeds found in the chinese market. It gives a very distinct flavor to the pickle. You can use any refined oil if you aren’t too fond of sesame)
salt to taste.

Directions:

  • Marinate the shrimp with 1/2 of the chili powder, turmeric powder, 1/2 of the vinegar and salt for 30 minutes.
  • Shallow fry the marinated shrimp until just cooked and keep it aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida, fry mustard, fenugreek, black pepper and curry leaves.
  • Add the sliced ginger and garlic, green chili, and remaining chili powder and sauté until golden brown.
  • Add the fried shrimp, remaining vinegar and salt (it should taste slightly saltier than normal) and mix thoroughly. Add more heated oil, just sufficient to make sure all pieces of shrimp are covered with the vinaigrette. Put off the flame.
  • Mix everything thoroughly.
  • Bottle it in clean jars and keep it air tight.
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