Tomato Pineapple Red Curry With Shrimp & Lentils

Serves 4-6

The first time I attempted tomato pineapple red curry was in college. I had just returned from my study abroad in Chang Mai, Thailand, and was eager to put my new cookbook to good use. At this time, I was in graduate school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My weeks were full of internships and night classes. On the weekends, my roommate and classmate would find fun in cooking new cuisine from around the world. Tomato and pineapple curry made its debut back in 2008 in a tiny college kitchen. At this time, we used duck instead of shrimp. I have to say that the dish we made was delectable, however, I have made a few changes to this recipe over the years. Below is the recipe I currently use in my household. It may have started as a traditional Thai dish, but it has morphed into a common dinner of my very own.

Ingredients:

1 cup of lentils fully cooked

2 cups of diced pineapple (16 oz can of pineapple)

2 cups of cherry tomatoes

2 cups of raw spinach

1 16-ounce can of thick coconut milk

1 lime

2 Tbsp red curry paste

1/8 cup honey

1 diced jalapeno

1 diced red pepper

2 tsp of oyster sauce

2 cups of tamarind water

2 lb bag of shrimp

1 Tbsp olive oil

brown rice fully cooked

Instructions:

1. Boil half a cup of dry brown lentils for 30 minutes until soft.

2. Dice up the red pepper and jalapeño. Then place into a different pot than the lentils with olive oil.

3. Fry the red pepper and jalapeño on medium until soft.

4. Dice up the pineapple if needed or open your can of pineapple.

5. Prepare the tamarind water using tamarind paste. Click HERE for instructions on how to make tamarind water if needed.

6. Add the following ingredients to the pot: coconut milk, tamarind water, pineapple, cherry tomatoes, spinach, cooked lentils, red curry paste, honey, oyster sauce, and juice of one lime.

7. Let the pot cook on medium for 15-20 minutes. Add the shrimp in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

8. Boil your brown rice. You can select the quantity.

9. Add rice to a bowl and top with curry to serve.

Additional Information:

Within this dish, tamarind is used. It is not a food that is commonly found in the United States, so I wanted to share more information. Tamarind is a fruit that has a sour taste. It can be found in many Central American, Caribbean, Asian, and Middle Eastern dishes and drinks. Tamarind grows on a tree within a brown pod similar to peanuts. The outer pod must be removed to extract the fruit inside. The fruit inside has natural fibers making it have a similar texture to dates. You may often buy tamarind at the market in Costa Rica wrapped in cellophane including parts of the hard pod and seeds. It is from tamarind paste that tamarind water is made. Once again, click HERE for instructions on how to make tamarind water. One can find tamarind easily in a Chinese or Middle Eastern grocery store within the United States.

Remember to cook your brown lentils for at least 30 minutes before adding them to the curry. Lentils contain lectin which can cause diarrhea and vomiting if you don’t thoroughly cook them. If you don’t like lentils, feel free to omit them as there is already protein in the curry from the shrimp. Also, vice versa if you are a vegetarian.

If you cannot find tamarind, do not despair. For the two cups of tamarind, just add 1 cup of thin coconut milk and one cup of water. You will miss a little of the sour flavor, but I promise there are so many other flavors that will make up for it in this dish.