Mex-Indian Shrimp Tacos from Utpal Dighe

serves four
Ingredients
Paneer and Chorizo Crumble:
5 oz paneer cheese
5 oz Spanish chorizo
1 Tbsp chipotle powder
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Shrimp in Adobo Sauce:
5 oz chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce, canned
8 oz shrimp or seafood stock, canned
1 Tbsp oil
16 shrimps, with shell
1 tsp Garam Masala (or 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp of ground coriander)
1 Tbsp vinegar
Rice flour, to coat
Cucumber Raita:
1 cucumber or Hot House cucumber
1 c plain, whole milk yogurt or Desi Natural Dahi
1 Tbsp Garam Masala (or 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp of ground coriander)
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp honey
2 Tbsp red onion, chopped
Tacos:
4 mini flour tortillas
1/4 head of red cabbage
1 lemon
1 lime
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp mint, chopped
Salt, to taste
Method
For the crumble: Cut paneer into one-inch cubes. Mix chipotle powder and salt, to taste, and coat cubes. In a pan, fry the crumbled chorizo until slightly crispy. Place on a paper towel to dry. In another pan, fry the coated paneer with a teaspoon of oil until sides are browned. Place on paper towel to dry.
For the shrimp: Remove shells and heads from shrimp. Devein. Wash shrimp shells and heads. Open the can of chipotle peppers and separate the peppers from the sauce. Add sauce, stock, and shells to a pot. Let the mixture simmer and add Garam Masala as it reduces.
Coat shrimp heads with rice flour. In same pan you fried the paneer in, fry shrimp heads. In another pan, heat oil to fry the shrimp. When the pan is hot, brown the shrimp on both sides. (This should be no more than two or three minutes on each side.) Remove shrimp from heat.
For the cucumber raita: Shred cucumber and place on a cheesecloth. Tighten to remove as much liquid as possible. Let this sit and drip for a few minutes. In a bowl, combine yogurt, Garam Masala, onions, cilantro, mint, and honey. Squeeze some lemon juice. Remove cucumber from the cheesecloth and mix into the bowl.
Refrigerate the bowl until just before you’re ready to serve the dish. At that point, use a hand mixer to whip the mixture until it thickens.
For the tacos: Shred or slice the read cabbage, lengthwise. Heat tortillas on a skillet or in a toaster oven. Once heated, spread a little bit of the Adobo sauce reduction on top. Place three pieces of shrimp on every tortilla. Squeeze some lemon juice on top. Drizzle additional Adobo reduction on shrimp. Place three to four chunks of paneer cheese and a teaspoon of crumbled chorizo on shrimp.
To serve: Top each taco with red cabbage. Drizzle with raita emulsion. Squeeze additional lemon juice on top. Garnish with chopped mint and cilantro. Surround each taco with shrimp heads placed directly on plate.
Utpal Dighe was the winner of the Johnson & Wales University Student Culinary Competition Johnson & Wales University is located at 1131 Washington Avenue.
DiningOut Miami was a media sponsor for the 15th Annual Deering Seafood Festival.