thank goodness my bubbe doesn't use the internet...

or else she'd blush at the fact that there are shrimp tails sticking out of the bowl below. oh well, it was too delicious to forgo! i would say this is the first real dinner that I've cooked for myself in quite a while. i feel like food never tasted this good! sometimes there just is a limit to take-out, frozen dinners, and even fancy restaurants. there is almost no other activity that i get as much enjoyment out of as cooking a one-pot meal then settling into an episode of "The West Wing," grinning with satisfaction at having created a tasty meal. one of my roommates mentioned that i put so much effort into cooking as if it was a burden, but the truth is that the effort makes the outcome so much more enjoyable.

 

so what it took me 15 minutes to grate and squeeze limes...

the rest was a breeze. sauté , simmer, and serve--

this thai shrimp curry hails from my holy grail: Bon Appétit

ingredients:

• 3 large limes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped shallots
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen brand)
• 1 13 1/2- to 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 8 peeled deveined uncooked large shrimp (8 to 10 ounces)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

 the "how-to":

• finely grate enough peel from 2 limes to measure 11/2 teaspoons. Squeeze enough juice from 2 limes to measure 2 tablespoons. Cut third lime into wedges.
• heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots, diced red bell pepper, and minced ginger; sauté until shallots are tender and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, 11/2 teaspoons lime peel, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Simmer gently, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to curry sauce. Return to very gentle simmer and cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque in center, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently stir in cilantro and basil; serve with lime wedges.

בתאבון