Shrimp in Thai Red Curry

Our favorite Thai restaurant has a to-die-for red curry with duck and I had a hankering for red curry on Friday. I decided to try my hand at re-creating this dish, but with shrimp substituted for the duck. This recipe turned out to be a very decent home-made copy of the restaurant's duck version. Amazingly simple, delicious, and nutritious!

Shrimp in Thai Red Curry

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons lemon zest (a substitute for lemon grass)

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (found in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store)

4 bottles clam juice (chicken broth would be better, but it was a Lenten Friday for us)

2 14 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

1 can bamboo shoots drained and julienned

1 carrot julienned

1 red bell pepper julienned

10-15 cherry tomatoes

1/2 pineapple cut in to chunks

1 pound large frozen shrimp; defrost, peel, and clean

Salt to taste

Sticky white rice cooked according to package directions

Toss thawed shrimp with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside. In a large soup pot saute garlic and ginger in oil over medium heat until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. Add lemon zest and red curry paste and saute another 30 seconds. Pour in clam juice and coconut milk and bring to a soft boil. Add cornstarch mixture. Reduce heat to med low and simmer about 15 minutes. Add bamboo, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, and pineapple and cook 5-7 minutes to soften just a touch. Add seasoned shrimp and stir, cooking gently until it is just cooked through 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. Taste curry and season as needed with more salt.

Using large soup bowls place a nice mound of sticky rice in the center of each bowl. Gently ladle curry around the rice and serve. Wingnut likes his curry on the spicy side so we serve an Asian spicy chili sauce on the side so he can spice it up to his liking.