Cooking with Brooke: Shrimp Vindaloo

My first Indian dish went so well, I decided to tackle one of our favorites, Shrimp Vindaloo. Here is the recipe taken from myrecipe.com with my additions (not as many this time). We thought it was delicious, though I will be tinkering it in the future to get it just the way we like it, which is exceptionally hot. You, of course, can make it as hot or mild as you like. I served it with Basmanti rice.

Shrimp Vindaloo:

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt (as I said before, I just eyeball salt)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (I used mustard seed and crushed it; I'd suggest buying already crushed)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used Cayenne once again because it is what was in my kitchen.)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (I used white vinegar, which led to this funny exchange:
Joe: I thought that was poisonous.
Brooke: No, it's just vinegar.
Joe: Well, we keep it with all the poisonous cleaning supplies.
Let it be known white vinegar is a magical substance that will clean your diapers and floors then make you Shrimp Vindaloo.)
1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (I pulverized them into a mush because Joe HATES onions and it turned out fine.)
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped (omitted)
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl. Add vinegar, stirring to form a paste; set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons ginger and garlic; sauté for 20 seconds. Add spice paste; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and raisins. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add shrimp; cook for 4 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring occasionally. (As you would expect, I was not focused on the exact times for each step, except the shrimp. Over cooked shrimp is gross.)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup) It fed me and my food-camel husband with the left-overs pictured above.

For fun, here is what it looks like sitting in a lightsphere, aglow in wonderful spiciness: