.: evil jungle prince :.

For today's lunch, I decided on making gulai udang merah, or Indonesian shrimp in coconut sauce. So many of these ingredients were available fresh just outside my window, so why not? Kaffir lime leaves, chillies, and lemongrass are all growing like mad this time of year in my desert garden.

(And, blogging about dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, or the Philippines has the added fun of getting more than my normal share of comments. It seems people with roots in these countries really have a love for their culinary heritage and for discussing it!)

1. I started out by creating a crushed paste* of 5 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 inch of ginger, and 3-4 chili peppers sliced into rings. (Unfortunately I did not have red peppers, as the recipe called for, and substituted green.) This spice mixture was then placed into a pot and combined with a can of coconut milk.

2. As the coconut mixture began to heat over a low flame, I then added a slice of galangal root, 1 stalk of fresh lemongrass (crushed slightly to release its oils), 1 tsp turmeric, and a few torn kaffir lime leaves. This was brought to a very slow simmer.

3. Finally, I then added cleaned, de-veined shrimp and 1 fresh tomato, sliced into rounds. The shrimp and tomato were allowed to cook briefly. Before serving, I also added salt to taste.

* note that because I don't yet own a stone mortar, I used a food processor to create my bumbu spice mixture.

I really enjoyed this, and what really made it was the addition of the fresh tomato. It lended what otherwise would have been a rather heavy dish a distinct freshness -- cool tastes and textures counterpointing the heat of the peppers and spices. Yum.