Curried in a hurry: curried rice with shrimp

It was so hot Sunday. I got up early to run because I knew it was going to be steamy later but I also had a lot I wanted to get done. Well, I was back and ready to get busy by 9:30am. I started to do laundry and was immediately sweating. So much for being nice and clean from my shower. Let's just say it continued to get even hotter as the day wore one. By lunch I was done. I adamantly fight Jordan against the use of A/C. Our apartment has two window units. I find them loud, and a waste of electricity. Today however, I shut up the whole apartment from the outside, closed all of the blinds, and blasted the suckers on high. I was still hot.

Many ice filled glasses of water later it was time for dinner. Today was one of the days when I seriously considered having ice cream for dinner. Ice cream is one sure bet for cooling off. Instead my reason came back to me and I begin a new recipe I have been wanting to try. It was few ingredients and all cooked on the stove top. It wasn't ice cream but it would do.


Curried Rice with Shrimp

From Real Simple Recipes (online)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup long-grain white rice
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/2 cup fresh basil

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and curry and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes.

3. Add the rice, 2 ½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

3. Season the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and nestle them in the partially cooked rice. Cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold in the basil.

Think fried rice with an Indian flare. I am not a huge fan of curry but this was mild. You can definitely add more but I stuck to the recipe and thought it was fine. It was fast to prep and cook. I think this will become a new regular meal for us.