Here's a shrimp curry recipe to go with the spiced lemon rice that my daughter described yesterday.

I make this recipe using Kroger brand frozen shrimp, which I was dubious about trying. I imagined the shrimp would taste fishy or packaged. Amazingly though, these shrimp always taste fresh, and after buying them for two years, I can report they have always been high quality and have never had an off flavor (which I cannot say about the Whole Foods brand of frozen shrimp). Kroger frozen shrimp are also reasonably priced. They make eating shrimp an agreeable possibility for those of us who live in the middle of the continent.

Having said all that, I won't weigh in on the controversy over cooking with mustard oil, which is an oil commonly used in India and which I use in this recipe. First, I don't understand the controversy, and second, I cook with mustard oil so seldom that any possible toxicity represents a negligible risk for us. I have to wonder if the problem with mustard oil isn't comparable to that with fava bean (you can google "favism" for more on that). What I will say is this: Heated mustard oil fills the kitchen with a fantastic aroma that I like a lot.

And as a last warning, beware of the following: A google search on this recipe will likely bring up a photo that purports to be this dish. The photo looks appetizing, but don't be fooled. It's not this recipe, which, in contrast with the photo, turns out moderately saucy.

Ingredients
½ teaspoon ginger paste (grated ginger [$3.99 per pound] with a small amount of water added to make a paste)
1 teaspoon garlic paste (crushed garlic [$0.50 per bulb] with a small amount of water added to make a paste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice ($2.19 per 15 ounce bottle)
1 teaspoon red chile powder ($7.99 per pound of cayenne chile powder)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound shrimp, defrosted, washed and shelled (Kroger brand easy peel raw frozen white shrimp, 2 pound bag, 31-40 count; approximately $10.00)

4 tablespoon mustard oil (read-up on the health warnings for mustard oil before using it; otherwise, use extra-virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoon black mustard seed (rai) ($6.69 per pound)
6 garlic clove, finely chopped
20 fresh curry leaves (kari patta) ($1.00 per package containing several stems from the Fort Collins Rice & Spice Indian market)
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
1 jalapeño chile, diced
1 medium-size tomato ($0.36, on sale), peeled and chopped
½ cup coconut milk ($1.59 per 13½-ounce can)
1 teaspoon black peppercorn, crushed using a mortar and pestle
¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure
Mix the ginger paste, garlic paste, chile powder, salt and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the defrosted shrimp. Marinade in the refrigerator for 15-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the mustard oil in a pan on high heat until it starts smoking. Reduce the heat until smoking stops and oil reaches medium temperature. Add mustard seeds and stir. Add garlic and sauté. Add curry leaves and stir until the leaves become crisp. Add onion and sauté until light golden brown. Add ginger, green chiles and tomato. Sauté until fat starts to appear on the sides of the pan.

Add the marinated shrimp. Simmer until fully cooked. Add coconut milk, crushed black pepper and salt. Mix well, and simmer briefly. Check the seasoning and remove from heat.