Indian-Spiced Shrimp & Indian-Style Mustard Greens

Tonight, my wonderful husband did the cooking.  I had mustard greens from my Front Porch Pickings basket and I had shrimp I needed to use and I had a recipe for Indian spiced both!  We had never had mustard greens before although we have cooked other greens.  I loved that the greens were pureed.  It made them a lovely texture.  I won't lie, the boys weren't the biggest fan of the greens, but I count this recipe as a win.  Why?  Well the first time your eat something, especially something bitter, you are going to have to get used to it before you are going to enjoy it.  An unfamiliar taste, will be perceived as bad most of the time, and almost every time if it's bitter since bitter is nature's way of warning of toxins.  Ironic that these greens are more like medicine for our bodies.  And while it wasn't a huge hit, every one ate all their greens without any complaint.  All I heard were comments as to the unusual flavors.  (They were sweeter than we expected.)  To me, that is a win.  Any of you with kids out there, know that they can be very stubborn about green veggies and the strong flavors of mustard greens make them even harder for kids. And not one complaint was issued!  So that makes this recipe a win.  The shrimp were great too.

Update:  The chef that makes the greens recipe noted that his kids spread the greens over an Indian Cornbread and top with cheese and broil for a kind of pizza.  I did that with a pita today with some leftovers and really liked it


Indian-Spiced Shrimp

      2    Tbs. coriander seeds
      2 t  cumin seeds
    1/4    to 1/2 tsp. dried red chile flakes
    1/2 c  unsweetened coconut milk
      3    Tbs. minced garlic
      3    Tbs. minced fresh ginger
      1    -1/2 lb. jumbo shrimp (21-25 count),peeled and deveined
      2    Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
    1/4 c  chopped fresh cilantro
      2    Tbs. fresh lime juice,plus 4 lime wedges for serving
           Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a small, heavy saut pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the
coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and chile flakes and cook, shaking the
pan constantly, until the spices are very fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, garlic, ginger, shrimp, and
spice powder and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 10 and up to
30 minutes.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add
the shrimp and the marinade and cook, stirring and shaking the pan,
until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes, adding 1
Tbs. water at a time if necessary to keep the marinade from scorching.
Remove from the heat and add the cilantro and lime juice. Season with
salt and pepper and serve garnished with the lime wedges.

 Indian-Style Mustard Greens

1 1/4 lb mustard greens,stemmed
1/2 lb cleaned spinach
2 T  cornmeal
6    garlic cloves,chopped
4    jalapeños,seeded and finely chopped
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger,peeled and chopped
2    red onions,finely chopped
1/4 c  vegetable oil
Salt

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the mustard greens
and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 30 seconds. Drain
the greens, transfer to a food processor and puree. Sprinkle the
cornmeal over the greens and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer the
pureed greens to a bowl.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeos and ginger to the food processor and finely
chop. Add the onions and finely chop.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic-onion
mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until
lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the pureed greens and cook for 4
minutes, stirring occasionally; add about 1/4 cup of water if the
greens look dry. Season with salt and serve.