There are a few magazines that I relish reading for recipes, photo essays, travel stories, and food and wine pairings: Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Wine Spectator, Gastronomica, and Saveur. I dog ear recipes I want to try, save images that are inspiring, and visit restaurants that are featured--in this country and abroad. Here is a recipe that I saved from Bon Appetit Magazine years ago (1998) for Shrimp Madras which can be found on Epicurious.com. (everyone loved this dish!)

Madras curry or Madras sauce is a fairly hot curry sauce, red in color. It originates in the south of India and gets its name from the city of Madras now known as Chennai. Madras sauce goes great with poultry, pork, lamb, seafood and vegetables and can be used at any stage of cooking; use it to marinade, grill or finish. When you are looking for a quick Seduction Meal (this dish can be made in less than 30 minutes) and your significant other is a fan of spicy, curry dishes I highly suggest this Shrimp Madras recipe. I served it with rice pilaf and a mixed green salad. Fast, easy and delicious--everyone loved it.


Shrimp Madras by Bon Appetit Magazine
Here is a wonderful recipe of the chettinad (the business community) of Madras whose food often reflects a fusion of northern and southern flavors. In this shrimp preparation, for example, both Curry Powder and Garam Masala are used to achieve intriguingly complex results.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds jumbo or large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and rinsed
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
24 fresh kari leaves, cut into chiffonade; or 1 tablespoon dried kari leaves, coarsely powdered
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup coconut milk, fresh or canned
Coarse salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
(optional) 1 bunch (6 to 7 ounces) watercress, trimmed, rinsed, and patted dry

Note: I couldn't find the kari leaves so eliminated that item. And I like my curry hot so I added 1 tsp of hot sauce to the coconut / tomato mixture.

Preparation

1. Place the shrimp in a bowl. Add the Curry Powder, Garam Masala, kari leaves, garlic, and oil and crumble over shrimps.

2. Heat a frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add the shrimps and sear, shaking and tossing, for 1 minute, or until they begin to turn pink and curl up. Whisk the tomato paste into the coconut milk and add to the shrimps. Continue to cook until the sauce is reduced to a glaze and the shrimps are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice and turn off the heat.

3. Spread the watercress on a plate and mound the shrimps on top of it, and/or serve with a side of rice. Serve immediately.