I recently cooked a big dinner for my boyfriend’s roommates, and knew I would need some hearty ingredients to satiate their hunger. My first thought was that an appetizer was a must, to have them snacking on something and occupied while I focused on the entree and sides. 
One can never go wrong with serving shrimp cocktail at a dinner, it’s always a great go-to app, but regarding four hungry boys, I didn’t think that would be enough. So, I decided to do a shrimp cocktail with a twist: coconut curry shrimp with a homemade Thai chili sauce.
The shrimp was a hit with everyone. The thick crust from the coconut flakes and bread crumbs was sufficient, and the sauce had enough sweet flavor to it to compliment the curry taste. This recipe is really easy. For the shrimp, you just need bread crumbs and coconut flakes. For the sauce, I just created it from what I had in my pantry. Because I like to make sauce by taste as I go, I do not have the recipe for it. But I recommend making a good base with the mayonnaise and chili paste, and then adding amounts of the other ingredients that suit your taste.
This is a great recipe to make small or large; the only thing that might get expensive is the shrimp, but everything else can be found at a good price.
Ingredients
- For the shrimp batter:
- 1 pound large shrimp
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 container of plain bread crumbs
- 1 small container of curry paste (red or green, I used green)
- 1/2 to one full bag of unsweetened coconut flakes (depending on how much coconut flavor you prefer)
- enough vegetable or peanut oil to cover shrimp
- For the sauce:
- mayonnaise
- chili paste
- rice wine vinegar
- sesame oil
- honey
Instructions
- For the shrimp: Heat up oil in fryer. Mix coconut milk and curry paste together and add shrimp. Marinate for at least an hour. Add coconut flakes to food processor for a finer texture (easier to stick to the shrimp than bigger flakes). Mix coconut flakes and bread crumbs together in a deep pan or mixing bowl. Dip each shrimp in dry ingredients, cover liberally, then fry until golden brown.
- For the sauce: Combine 2 parts mayonnaise, and one part chili paste to create a base. Add in remaining ingredients to your taste. Be careful not to add too much sesame oil; it only takes a few drops.
