Although I am from the South and love Southern food, as I have grown up I have expanded my cooking techniques to include a lot more ethnic food. More often than not, I cook Thai, Mexican or Indian food when making a nice dinner at home.
I love the flavors. The simplicity of the ingredients that cultivates the complexity of the dishes is extraordinary to me. They are often light but always spicy, and I love cooking flavorful food in general.
That said, I can’t let my heritage go completely. I am still a huge fan of grits, and other Southern specialties such as butter beans and fried chicken.
Recently I was having a couple of friends over for dinner. She asked for shrimp and grits, but her daughter was craving Thai food. So, I decided to combine the requests and make the best of both worlds: red curry shrimp over grits.
Why not, right? Shrimp and grits is a standard favorite, and there is no reason this dish couldn’t be great, though I had never thought of melding the two dishes before.
If you use a prepared curry paste, like I did, this dish is quick to make on a weeknight, though fancy enough to serve at a dinner party on a weekend night. I don’t follow the jar’s curry recipe direction and instead prepare it the way I have described here. You don’t need a ton of extra broth, so I fill the curry sauce with veggies so it is a one-pot dish. The sauce is a little richer and spicier than your average curry, but adjust the recipe as you like.
For the grits, I import my grits from Charleston. I honestly have not looked to see if anyone carries this brand here, because I always have a supply from home, but they might. If not, you can buy them online at http://www.ansonmills.com/products. I buy the course white grits and slow cook them with whole milk until they are soft and creamy. I would not ever buy or make quick-cook grits. Not only are they processed, they just aren’t as good.
It takes a little longer (like an hour) to cook them this way. What I typically do is get them started while I prep the rest of my meal. All you have to do is stir them and add more milk every 5 to 10 minutes or so.
This dish was a crowd pleaser. It was fairly healthy with the kale included. It was maybe a little bit fattening with the milk and coconut milk but not over the top, and we didn’t need to eat more than a bowl to be satisfied.
You could certainly substitute just veggies in this dish, if you want to go vegetarian style, or chicken would probably work, too, if you can’t find great shrimp. Basil could substitute for cilantro if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 2 cans coconut milk
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jar red curry paste
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha (optional)
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Place the coconut milk and garlic into a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about three minutes or until slowly boiling. Add the red curry paste and stir until the mixture has dissolved. Add the fish sauce and reduce the heat to a slow boil if necessary. Cook for a couple of minutes and taste. Correct seasoning if necessary with more fish sauce. Add the carrots and kale and cook until just wilted. Add shrimp and cook through. Stir in lime juice, Sriracha and cilantro. Serve in a bowl over creamy grits.
