Masala Shrimp Skewers

It’s a fact that food served on a stick is more flavorful than not. Okay so maybe not a fact, but it sure is more fun! In college, when our brains were saturated with information, my friend @88suns and I would head off to a little hole-in-the wall place which served some of the best seafood I’ve had (shout out to Fish Maxx in Manipal). It was always fresh (perks of living in a coastal town), delicious, and made us forget our stress for some time. I’ve wanted to try and recreate their masala-garlic shrimp for so long and I finally did! Shrimp is a great first step into cooking seafood because for the most part it is readily available and difficult to mess up. They soak up whatever spices you introduce and only lend a subtle fish-y flavor.

*Recipe* - 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined - 1 T garlic paste - 1 t Kashmiri chili powder - 1/4 t turmeric powder - Salt to taste - 1/4 t black pepper - 2 T coconut oil - Mini wooden skewers (optional)

* In a bowl mix the garlic and powdered spices together and toss your shrimp in and coat well. Let it sit for about 10 minutes * Soak your skewers in warm water for about 5 min. This will prevent them from burning. Thread the shrimp on the skewer long ways or curled. This step is optional. * Heat up your oil on low-medium heat and then place the shrimp skewers into the oil. Cook until crispy on both sides. Shrimp cooks quite fast on high heats but I prefer to cook them longer (7-8 mins) on a lower heat setting so the flavor is sealed. * Squeeze some lemon juice on top and serve right away. Mostly so you don’t eat them all yourself!