Indian Coconut Shrimp Curry Recipe

A white bowl filled with creamy orange Indian Coconut Shrimp Curry, garnished with herbs, placed on a rustic wooden board with fresh cilantro and green chilies scattered around.

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5 from 16 votes

Indian Coconut Shrimp Curry Recipe

Make this flavor-packed Indian Style Coconut Shrimp Curry from scratch in under 30 minutes using this easy recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: people

Author: Neha Mathur

Ingredients

400 grams shrimp cleaned and deveined
3 tablespoons coconut oil or any other cooking oil
15-20 curry leaves
1 cup finely chopped onions
2-3 dry red chilies broken
2-3 green chilies slit into half
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons coriander powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste (pulp)
1 cup coconut milk

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Instructions

Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add curry leaves and onions and cook until onions turn translucent (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add dry red chilies and green chilies. Cook for a minute.

Remove the seeds from the dry chilies before adding them if you want a milder curry.

Now add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw smell is gone (2-3 minutes). Don’t rush this; raw ginger garlic ruins the final flavor.
Add tomatoes and ¼cup of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

If you prefer a smoother curry, you can blend the ingredients using a hand blender or a blender at this stage to create a fine paste. Return the paste to the pan and follow the rest of the recipe.

Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, black pepper powder, and salt. Cook for 10-15 seconds.
Now add ½ cup of water and tamarind paste and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low. Add coconut milk and cook for 2-3 minutes. Never hard-boil after adding coconut milk. A vigorous boil causes the coconut milk to split, and the curry loses its silky texture.

Critical step: Reduce heat BEFORE adding coconut milk. Keep it at a steady, gentle simmer throughout.

Add shrimp and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until just opaque. Do not overcook. Overcooked shrimp turns rubbery and loses its sweet flavor.

Cook time: Small shrimp = 3–4 min · Medium = 4–6 min · Jumbo = 6–8 min. Shrimp is cooked when it curls into a loose C-shape. A tight O-shape means overcooked.

Taste the curry and adjust salt and tamarind as needed. You can add ½ teaspoon of brown sugar to balance the curry’s spicy, tangy flavors, but it is optional. Garnish coconut curry shrimp with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Video

Notes

If using fresh shrimp, make sure to devein them. Frozen shrimp are mostly deveined and cleaned. Thaw them before using them in the curry.

Adjust the green chilies as per your liking.

You can add ½ teaspoon of garam masala at the end of cooking for a nice flavor.

This curry can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It is not freezer-friendly! While thawing, coconut milk will split and ruin the curry's texture.

Nutrition