The rich curry and creamy milk flavors infuse the shrimp, resulting in a tender, sweet, and velvety texture.
Macau has a sauce called "Portuguese sauce," which contains coconut milk, evaporated milk, and turmeric powder, similar to curry sauce. Cantonese cuisine later adopted this seasoning, and one of the most famous preparations is like this dish: a base of several vegetables and mushrooms, topped with a thick layer of "Portuguese sauce," then finished in the oven. Since the shrimp in this dish goes through three processes—frying, simmering, and baking—the cooking time for each step must not be too long, or the shrimp will become tough.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
300 g (about 10.5 oz) Arctic shrimp
Wild-caught Arctic shrimp can be used, but fresh shrimp with shells also work—Arctic shrimp are mostly wild-caught and have higher nutritional value.
Seasonings
Curry powder to taste
20 g (about 1.5 tablespoons) white sugar
1 g salt
Onion, ginger, garlic, fresh milk - each to taste
Melt butter and stir-fry with a small amount of flour until combined.
Butter-fried flour method can be found on page 26 of this book under "Black Pepper Pork Tenderloin."
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Thaw the Arctic shrimp naturally, then finely mince the onion, ginger, and garlic and set aside.
*Thaw the Arctic shrimp naturally at room temperature—do not soak them in water, as this will compromise their flavor and texture.
Step 2: Place the curry powder in a bowl, heat a small amount of oil until it reaches about 70% hot (just starting to smoke), then pour it over the curry powder (Image 2). Stir quickly to combine, creating a curry oil paste (Image 3).
*When making the curry oil sauce, the oil temperature should not be too low, otherwise the flavors won't be released.
Deep-fried Arctic shrimp
Place an appropriate amount of oil in a wok and heat until it reaches 70-80% hot (about 350-375°F/175-190°C). Add the Arctic shrimp and deep-fry over high heat for 30 seconds until the shells are crispy, then remove and drain (Image 4).
*If you have a lot of shrimp or a small pan with little oil, fry them in two batches; otherwise, the oil temperature will drop too quickly and affect the texture of the shrimp.
Simmer Arctic shrimp in a curry sauce until the flavors meld, then bake until golden and bubbly.
④ Add a little more oil to the pan and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and minced ginger, stir-frying briefly, then add an appropriate amount of prepared curry oil paste and stir-fry until fragrant (Image 5).
*Using butter to sauté the aromatics is also a great option, adding a richer, more aromatic flavor—definitely worth a try.
Curry typically requires onions, garlic, and ginger, which blend together beautifully. The amount of curry can be adjusted to personal taste, with no strict requirements.
Add enough hot water, then add sugar and salt. Place the shrimp in the pan, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 1 minute (Figure 6).
Roasted Arctic shrimp
Pour in an appropriate amount of fresh milk and bring to a boil, then cook for 1 minute (Image 7). Thicken the sauce by stirring in a roux made from butter and flour (Image 8). Once the sauce has thickened, transfer it to a serving dish (Image 9).
*If you have coconut milk at home, you can add some at this step for an even more wonderful flavor.
*This dish uses a Western cooking method, so you'll need to make a roux by stir-frying flour in butter for a richer, more aromatic flavor.
The sauce should not be too thick after thickening with cornstarch; it needs to have some fluidity so it can be poured over the shrimp at the end.
Place the entire baking dish into a preheated oven and bake for 5-6 minutes, until the surface is bubbly and golden brown (see Figure 10).
*Set the oven to the highest broil setting with the bottom heat at 200°C (400°F), mainly to brown the surface and create a crispy crust.
*A final bake in the oven makes this dish richer and more aromatic; for an extra layer of flavor, pour a small cup of yogurt over the crispy top when serving.
*Choose an oven-safe dish for the shrimp, otherwise it may be dangerous.
A great trick for lazy cooks.
Because coconut milk and turmeric powder aren't commonly kept at home, the curry sauce here is made using store-bought curry powder as a base. To simplify further, you can use ready-made curry paste instead. Additionally, the shrimp can be blanched instead of fried, but since Arctic shrimp are wild and have a slightly stronger fishy taste, blanching won't remove the odor as effectively.
Cooking Notes
Why use Arctic shrimp specifically for this dish? First, most regular shrimp are farmed and lack intense flavor, while Arctic shrimp have a richer, more pronounced taste. Second, Arctic shrimp have thin shells that can be eaten directly without peeling, adding both flavor and a calcium boost. Third, wild-caught Arctic shrimp offer higher nutritional value. However, since Arctic shrimp must be cooked immediately on the boat after being caught at sea (otherwise they would spoil), they already have a salty taste, which can be somewhat limiting for cooking. I've tried many methods, and this curry preparation is the most delicious.