Every once in awhile I conjure an off-the-wall idea - and then I run with it! It was just such an idea that acted as a catalyst for a fun packed family gathering at my home on Saturday night.
I love to cook - especially recipes from various parts of the globe. I also like mixing the recipes up a bit into what is labeled fusion or cross-cultural cooking.
I've cooked Indian, Thai, Caribbean, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Lebanese, Carolina Low Country, and even Poor White Trash dishes.
But I wanted to try hosting an evening with the theme, "Where Pirates Go."
October is a month, which lends itself well for an event like this. First, there are the birthdays of two of my daughters, and a son-in-law, needing to be celebrated, and there is Halloween.
So I gathered the clan, and cooked up blended recipes from areas where pirates go (or at least went).
There was a treasure hunt for the kids, while the pots were brewing and mischievous chatter prevailed.
For the menu, I chose two curry dishes - a Caribbean inspired Yellow Chicken Curry, and a Shrimp Curry with Mango, Pineapple, Lemon Grass and Peanuts. We also had Jerked Beef Kabobs.
Here's one of the recipes you may enjoy from the event:
YELLOW CURRY SHRIMP CARIBBEAN
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Shrimp
- 1 mango minced
- 3 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh Cilantro
- 1/4 Lime Juice
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup raw peanuts
- ½ cup carrot grated
- 2 can (13.5 oz) Coconut Milk
- 3 tablespoon Thai Basil
- 2 tablespoon grated Ginger
- 3 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 Red bell pepper 1/2" diamond shapes
- ½ cup green onion sliced
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2.5 tablespoon Spicy Yellow Curry Powder
- 1 tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 anistars
Preparation
Rinse shrimp. Peel the mangoes, and dice them into even, 1/2" cubes. Prepare pineapple into cubes as well.
Steam the sweet potatoes until they are partially cooked or al dente.
Bring a skillet to medium-high heat; add vegetable oil. Sauté' the green onions and red pepper together for 2 minutes, until just tender (not brown),
In a large crock pot, put the coconut milk, grated ginger, Thai basil, peanut butter, cilantro grated carrot, limejuice, lemon and salt. Blend in the curry powder, red pepper flakes and anistars.
Add the pineapple, mango and the partially cooked sweet potatoes, raw peanuts, the sautéed bell peppers and onion, to the crock-pot.
Cook for a couple hours. Add shrimp and cook an additional hour.
Serve over steamed rice.
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What a fun event for the family, Myrl. Those dishes you were serving looked GREAT and the costumes were fabulous! Just curious, but what would be an example of "Carolina Low Country" cooking? Interesting with the addition of the peanut butter to the shrimp dish recipe!!! Sounds yummy!