Shrimp and Coconut Curry With Green Beans

Dr. Jenny's Note:

This recipe from December 2010 Bon Appetit was just as good as it looked. DH and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to many of the ingredients going into the food processor, prep was not too laborious. Although the recipe did not specify, we served over jasmine rice, which worked really well.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 3/4 lb green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped seeded, jalapeno chile
• 2 tablespoons indian curry powder (such as Madras)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped peeled, fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus sliced leaves for garnish
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 1/2 lbs uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
• lime wedge

Directions:

1. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Cut 2 inches from bottom of each lemongrass stalk; discard tops. Thinly slice bottom pieces; place in processor. Add next five ingredients, chopped basil, and 1/4 cup water. Blend until paste forms.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add curry paste; cook, stirring often, until dry, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; bring to simmer. Add shrimp; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Add green beans; stir to heat through. Season curry with salt and pepper. Transfer curry to serving bowl; garnish with basil. Serve with lime wedges (we served over jasmine rice).

Reviews

[awalde]

We all enjoyed this curry very much. We did not have problems for the preparation and we liked the beans too. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Like in Asia (especially in Thailand), vegetables are never overcooked preserving their vitamins very well. Some people said that green beens need a longer cooking time (about 15 minutes). I also consider that cooking is a form of injury to the plant, but maybe the heat deactivates the cyanide that is then released. Not all kind of green beans have the same content of the toxic substance (phasin).
Done dfor ZWT7.

[Linky]

This was terrific! I halved the recipe and used less than 1/2 of a fresh jalapeno (wimpy!) and it still had just the right amount of a noticeable kick. I used my hand-held immersion blender to chop up all of the indicated ingredients. Will be making this again, soon. Thanks, Dr. Jenny!

[averybird]

My husband gave this recipe "12 stars" last night (out of 10), and I have to agree it is excellent- I would say restaurant quality. I used green beans from the garden and cooked them until tender (8 minutes). I only used 1 lb of shrimp and it was a decent amount, and also omitted the jalapenos to lessen the heat. Decided to splurge and use full fat coconut milk (instead of light) and it was the right decision. So delicious, especially with the squeeze of fresh lime over the finished dish, the flavors really popped! Served over jasmine rice. Thanks a bunch, Dr. Jenny. [Made for Zaar Chef Alphabet Soup]