This is a stupid, unimaginative name for what is really an Indian shrimp dish. The recipe is in August Living. So here’s my backstory. My friend Monica Bhide is a true genius and writes the blog A Life of Spice and has a wonderful cookbook called Modern Spice (which I gave to my mom for Christmas). Monica is the modern Indian food guru. Recently on her blog she wrote about someone writing to her and asking for help with Indian food since the writer couldn’t find any she liked. This prompted me to also post and tell Monica that I too have a big problem with Indian food. It all started back in Washington, DC when I was a teen on vacation with my parents. DC has some of the best Indian restaurants in the country and my parents took me to one. I have a very sensitive palate (and digestive system) and hot, spicy food does not work for me. At that restaurant, there was not a single item I was able to eat. I couldn’t even eat the naan they brought to the table. Nada. I ended up grabbing a sandwich at a deli on the way back to the hotel.

As an adult, I’ve avoided Indian food. Whenever I’ve tried something, it is invariably too hot for me. A few years ago on a rare date night, Mr. MarthaAndMe went to an Indian restaurant to give it a try. I threw myself on the waiter’s mercy and explained I could not tolerate spicy food. I wanted to order some chicken tandoori which sounded harmless, but the waiter insisted the sauces are what makes Indian food special, so we let him help us choose. It was all too hot. I ate almost nothing and scrambled for mint, Rolaids, and gum in the car ride home.

I can’t help feeling that there has to be Indian food I could eat and enjoy and Monica was kind enough to suggest some dishes for me. When this recipe for shrimp skewers popped up in August Living, I thought I would give it a try. I severely modified the recipe though, cutting back the curry and cumin to just tiny bits, hoping that I could enjoy the flavor without the burning. I also did not leave the shrimp in their shells since I hate trying to peel them at the table. I didn’t bother putting them on skewers and just grilled them individually.

The verdict? These were pretty good. I went super, super light on the curry and cumin, but I could still taste it without setting my mouth on fire. Dude Martha said it had no flavor and had to go get the ketchup bottle. Teen Martha said it was pretty good. Mr. MarthaAndMe said it was good. So I’ve made a foray into Indian food and I didn’t die in the process, so that is a victory for me! Here are Martha’s ingredients:

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp and 1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp chopped fresh ginger

2 scallions, chopped, white and pale green parts only

2 small garlic cloves

3 tbsp olive oil

20 lg shrimp

Martha says to stick everything but the shrimp in the food processor and cover the shrimp with it. Her recipe says to leave the shells on the shrimp but slit the shells, and stuff the curry underneath the shells and then place them on skewers and grill.

This is a stupid, unimaginative name for what is really an Indian shrimp dish. The recipe is in August Living. So here’s my backstory. My friend Monica Bhide is a true genius and writes the blog A Life of Spice and has a wonderful cookbook called Modern Spice (which I gave to my mom for … Read more →