Friday, That Means It’s Curry Night!

 

For many years pre-op, Friday signalled not just the end of the working week for me, but also curry night! This was the time to get out the take-away menu and order an Indian feast. Occasionally we still do that and I judiciously choose a spoonful of this and a dollop of that from the array that has been chosen by others who haven’t the constraints of bariatric surgery eating to consider. It works to a degree …

 

But I have hankered after my own bowlful and tried and developed an array

of curries over the years (see previous recipes below in related articles). This is the latest … it’s a prawn curry but would probably work with other fish chunks or even chicken, and has a yogurt base rather than a coconut milk one. I have used a normal (rather than fat-free) Greek yogurt which holds up well with cooking and gives the sauce a lovely creamy texture and still compares favourably fat-wise with even reduced-fat coconut milk. If you wish to make this curry in a hurry then you can always substitute the spices for 1-2 tsp of your favourite curry paste mixture (to taste).

 

Ideally marinate the prawns/shrimp for at least 4-6 hours prior to cooking (overnight is probably best). Serve with rice if you like – I served mine with cauli rice flavoured with Indian spices (which you can now buy ready-prepared in a sachet). The recipe serves 2 (since I have had a couple of requests for smaller recipe ideas) but can be doubled or trebled to serve more. Friday Curry Night is back!

 

PRAWN/SHRIMP CURRY

Ingredients

METRIC/US

300 g/2 cups peeled raw prawns/shelled shrimp

5 tbsp natural Greek or other thick yogurt

1/2 small fresh red chilli or 1/4-1/2 tsp lazy chilli (to taste)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

low-fat cooking spray or mist

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp ground coriander/ground cilantro

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2-3 small tomatoes, chopped

chopped fresh coriander/cilantro, to garnish

 

METHOD

1.  Mix the prawns/shrimp with the yogurt, chilli and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for 4-6 hours or overnight.
2.  Generously spritz a pan with low-fat cooking spray or mist. Heat, add the cumin seeds, turmeric, garam masala, mustard seeds and ground coriander/cilantro and cook for 1 minute, stirring well until fragrant.
3.  Add the onion and garlic, mixing well and cook for 2 minutes.
4.  Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes, then add 120 ml/1/2 cup boiling water. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.
5.  Stir in the prawns/shrimp and the yogurt marinade. Cook over a gentle to medium heat until the prawns are opaque and just cooked through.
6.  Serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped coriander/cilantro. 

SERVES 2

WLS PORTION: 1/2-3/4

CALORIES PER PORTION: 228

PROTEIN: 31.6g

CARBOHYDRATE: 14.9g

FAT: 4.9g