Spice up crunchy shrimp

Charles Perry of The Times’ Food staff told us about an appetizer he’d had at Bombay Cafe: haldi jhinga (crisp marinated shrimp), one of the rare dishes to spotlight the flavor of turmeric (haldi), the spice mostly known for coloring curries yellow. At last, he said, shrimp so crisp you can practically hear them as you chew.

Neela Paniz of Bombay Cafe sent the recipe. The shrimp (jhinga) are marinated with haldi (turmeric), ginger, green chiles and cilantro. Just before cooking, they’re coated with Cream of Rice cereal, which makes them appealingly crunchy.

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Bombay Cafe’s haldi jhinga (crisp marinated shrimp)

Total time: 25 minutes, plus 3 hours marinating time

Servings: 4

1 (1 1/2 -inch) piece ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 serrano chiles, ends trimmed and seeded

1 cup cilantro leaves

24 large shrimp, cleaned and deveined

2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 scant teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Cream of Rice cereal

Oil for frying

8 lemon wedges

8 lime wedges

1. Combine the ginger, chiles and cilantro in a food processor and process until finely minced, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Put the mixture in a bowl, add the shrimp and stir to coat well.

2. Add the turmeric and stir again to coat well. (This works best if you use your fingers. Wear gloves to protect fingers from staining). Marinate the shrimp in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

3. When ready to cook, remove the shrimp from the refrigerator. Sprinkle with the salt and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

4. Put the cereal on a flat plate. Lightly dredge the shrimp through the cereal, shaking off excess and set aside.

5. Pour enough oil to completely cover the shrimp into a small deep saucepan and heat to 375 degrees. Place 6 shrimp on a large slotted spoon and ease into the hot oil. They will sizzle immediately. Turn over after 1 minute and fry for another 30 seconds, or until evenly golden. Drain on paper towels and continue with remaining shrimp. Serve garnished with lemon and lime wedges.

Each serving: 246 calories; 10 grams protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 14 grams fat; 2 gram saturated fat; 70 mg. cholesterol; 613 mg. sodium.