Project: Domestication: Flavorful Indian Scallops

Stir-Fried Scallops in an Aromatic Tomato-Cream Sauce

You will learn that my family loves to eat flavorful, exotic dishes. I've been have Indian cuisine as my birthday meal since I can remember! We have some classic dishes that have been repeated throughout the year, but this one is on the relatively new side. I can't even explain how good this is; you just have to try it! Originally the recipe calls for shrimp, but my mom strongly prefers scallops, so that's what we use. When she saw scallops on deep sale the other day she just had to pick some up so we could make this!

Ingredients:

{for the sauce}

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon store-bought garam masala {can be found at any Indian grocery store..living in Ann Arbor has it's advantages!}

1/2 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds

1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 fresh, hot green chile (we used a jalapeño)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

7/8 cup heavy whipping cream

{for stir-frying the shrimp}

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1-15 fresh curry leaves

1 1/4 pounds medium-sized scallops, peeled, deveined, and washed, then patted dry

How to:

{sauce}

To make the sauce, put the tomato paste in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar, garam masala, ground roasted cumin seeds, cayenne, cilantro, green chile, lemon juice, dried cury leaves {if you are not using fresh leaves with the scallops} and 1 table-spoon water. Mix well. Slowly add the cream, mixing as you go. Set aside.

{scallops}

To stir-fry the scallops, put the oil in a wok or frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop {this takes just a few seconds}, put in the garlic and the fresh curry leaves, if using. Stir until the garlic turns medium brown and put in the scallops. Stir until the scallops turn opaque most of the way through. Add the sauce, turn the heat to medium, and heat the sauce until it begins to simmer. By then the shrimp should be completely opaque and cooked through. Turn off the heat.