Coconut shrimp with couscous

5
Points®
Total Time
37 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
17 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Thai red curry paste—made from chili peppers, lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, and cilantro —gives this dish great flavor.

Ingredients

Peanut oil

1 Tbsp, or canola oil

Uncooked shrimp

1½ pound(s), large, peeled and deveined

Asparagus

2 cup(s), 1 bunch, tough ends trimmed and cut into 11⁄2-inch pieces

Onion

1 medium, sliced

Red bell pepper

1 medium, seeded and cut into strips

Fresh ginger

1 Tbsp, fresh, peeled and grated

Garlic

3 clove(s), minced

Thai curry paste

1½ tsp, (red)

Canned unsweetened light coconut milk

1 cup(s)

Fish sauce

2 Tbsp, (nam pla)

Sugar

1 Tbsp

Cooked couscous

3 cup(s), hot

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque in the center, 2–3 minutes on each side. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside.
  2. Add the remaining 11⁄2 teaspoons oil to the same skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors blend, about 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook 1 minute until heated through. Serve the shrimp and vegetables in bowls over the couscous. Yields scant 1 cup shrimp and vegetable mixture and 1⁄2 cup couscous per serving.

Notes

The paste imparts a bit of heat, so cut back on the amount you use if you don’t like spicy dishes. You can find the curry paste in small bottles in the ethnic section of most supermarkets and Asian groceries.