Description
Today we are making Goan Ambot Tik! This famous tangy spicy curry is loaded with flavour and is traditionally made with seafood. This Ambot Tik is super easy to make, perfect for a quick everyday meal and is best enjoyed with a bowl of steaming hot rice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (approx 500 grams) Shrimp, shelled, deveined and washed
- 1¾ tsp Salt (to taste) (1½ tsp for the shrimp, ¼ tsp for the curry)
- 1 tbsp heaped (15 grams) Tamarind
- ¼ cup Water, warm
- 8 Kashmiri Chillies (deseed 3)
- 4 Cloves
- 8 Black Peppercorns
- ½” Cinnamon Stick
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 5 Garlic Cloves
- 1” Ginger
- 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 3-4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 medium (1 cup) Red Onion, finely chopped
- 1¾ – 2 cups Water (¼ cup to rinse the mixer jar)
- 3 tsp Sugar (to taste)
- 4-5 Kokum Rinds
- 2 Green Chillies, slit
Method
- Shell, devein and pat dry the shrimp. Sprinkle on some salt and give the shrimp a mix. Cover and leave the shrimp aside to give the salt a chance to flavour the shrimp.
- In a bowl, add the tamarind and pour on the warm water. Leave it aside so that the warm water softens the tamarind.
- Add the Kashmiri chillies, cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and turmeric powder to the jar of the mixer. Increasing the speed of the mixer from low to high, grind all the dry ingredients till you get a fine powder.
- Coarsely chop the garlic and ginger and add them to the curry powder in the mixer jar.
- Press the tamarind between your fingers to extract all the pulp. Remove all the tamarind skin from the bow and add the tamarind extract to the jar of the mixer.
- Pour in the red wine vinegar and now increase the speed of the mixer from low to high, blend all the ingredients till you get a fine paste.
- On a medium heat, heat a pot and add some vegetable oil.
- Now toss in the chopped onions and saute till the onions turn translucent with a hint of golden.
- Add in the curry paste and keep sauteing for about 3-4 minutes till the curry paste blends with the onions and loses its raw flavour.
- Swirl some water in the jar of the mixer to pick up any leftover curry paste and add it to the pot. Now add some more water to the pot to create a curry.
- On a medium heat, allow the curry to simmer for about 5-10 minutes. This will give the flavours a chance to mingle and develop.
- Add the shrimp and kokum rinds to the curry, give it a mix so that the shrimp get well coated with the curry.
- When the shrimp are almost cooked, toss in the slit green chillies and allow the curry to simmer just for about another minute till the shrimp are just cooked.
- Take the curry off the heat and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before enjoying.
