Green Curry Shrimp

Never having made green curry before, this was a "wing it" recipe.  I looked up a few green curry recipes, then looked through the fridge and freezer to see what I was able to cross reference.  Not authentic, in the sense that it's probably not as nuanced as one would make it for a restaurant, but I'll bet it's fairly authentic in the sense that, often, people are making curry with the ingredients "on hand."

Green Curry Shrimp

Makes 4 servings

1 lb shrimp
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil , divided
3 ripe, green poblano chilis (or Anaheim, New Mexico, etc.)
1 inch of ginger
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 small lime
8 tbsp coconut cream or 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 can water chestnuts, drained
salt to taste
bean sprouts (for garnish)

If your shrimp have peels, then peel them, but don't throw away the shells.  Set the aside the shrimp.

Peel and chop the red bell pepper.

Heat a covered saucepan over medium high heat.  Add half the coconut oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the bell pepper until tender, then transfer to a bowl.  Add the other half of the coconut oil and swirl.  Add the shrimp shells and stir fry them until they are pink and smelling very fragrant (2-3 minutes).  Add a cup of water, and cover the pan, allowing the shrimp to simmer for a 5-10 minutes.  Strain the broth and set aside.

Stem, seed, and roughly chop the green chilis.  Put it in a blender.

Peeled and slice the ginger into disks.  Add it to the blender.

Chop the cilantro and add it to the blender, too.

Zest the lime and then into the blender (the zest, not the lime).

Add the shrimp broth or a cup of water to the blender, and puree until smooth.  Add more water, if necessary, scraping down the sides periodically.  Strain the chili puree through a colander or wire sifter to filter out the larger pieces that are left.

Pour the chili puree into the saucepan, along with the coconut cream.  Bring to a simmer and salt to taste. Add the raw shrimp and allow to simmer until the shrimp are pink and cooked.  Add the bell pepper and water chestnuts, heating through.  Juice the lime, stirring in 2 tablespoons of the juice.  Again, salt to taste.

Serve over rice, or if you're the paleo-but-with-a-blender type, eat it like soup.  Garnish with some of those bean sprouts -- unless you're so paleo that you can't envision having found a patch of mung beans sprouting and looking delicious, and calling to you to eat your fill.  In which case, garnish with more cilantro.

Eat up, this is really healthy!