Here is a very quick way to stir-fry shrimp so they are encrusted with spices. They are hot, sour, and utterly delicious. The dish may be served as a first course, as a light lunch with a salad, or as part of a larger Indian meal. Sri Lankan Rice with Cilantro and Lemon Grass goes well with this, as well as the Mushroom and Pea Curry.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (or 12 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp)

　　1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

　　1 teaspoon ground coriander

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　2 tablespoons olive, canola, or peanut oil

　　1/4 teaspoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds

　　1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

　　1 good-sized clove garlic, chopped

　　1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

　　

Step 1

Wash the shrimp well. Leave in a strainer for a while and then pat dry. Put in a bowl with the turmeric, cayenne, coriander, cumin, and salt. Mix well.

　　

Step 2

Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard and cumin seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in the garlic and stir once or twice. Quickly add the shrimp and stir once or twice. Turn the heat down immediately to medium low and let the shrimp cook gently, stirring as you do so, until they just turn opaque all through, a matter of 2 or 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and toss to mix. Serve immediately.

　　Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon.