Surely we will run out of new shrimp curry recipes any time now. I mean, the shrimp section in our favorite curry cookbook isn’t that big. However, in the meantime, we’ve been keeping a bag of prawns in the freezer – few things make a better quick weeknight dinner – so we’re always up for a new recipe to try.

This curry uses yet another of those ingredients that you pick up in a store, thinking you’ve been seeing references to it everywhere – then once you bring it home you can’t find a single mention of it. This is what happened to us with sumac, although we’re beginning to have a bit more luck on that front. In this case it was fenugreek leaves – we bought a box at a short-lived Indian grocery that ill-advisedly opened in the back of an outbuilding in Burlington, behind the Outlet Mall. Of course, they turned out to be chopped and dried, when our recipes call for fresh or frozen. Sigh.

But still! We followed directions for reconstituting the dried leaves, and the curry turned out fine. It actually didn’t taste very strongly of fenugreek, but it definitely smelled of it – the entire house (and Jon’s fingers) smelled amazingly of fenugreek for days, like a really good Indian restaurant.

The only other change we made to the recipe was to use red bell peppers instead of green, just because we like them better. It was very tasty.

Shrimp Curry with Bell Pepper and Fenugreek Leaves

adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• oil
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into small chunks
• 1 cup shredded dried coconut, soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water for 15 minutes, then drained
• 1/2 cup dried fenugreek leaves, soaked in water for 15 minutes, then scooped out (use fresh or frozen, without soaking,  if you have them)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped

Toss the shrimp with the turmeric and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a wide skillet and sear the shrimp, only about 30 seconds per side. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Pour two more tablespoons of oil into the pan and add the bell peppers. Saute until they begin to blister. Add the coconut, fenugreek leaves, salt and cayenne. When all is hot, add a cup of water and the garam masala. Bring the curry to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and scallions. When the shrimp is cooked through, serve.