ETTI MASALA p.76
BULGAR MOONG FARRO MASOOR SALAD p.41
Etti Masala is described as South Indian style shrimp. The recipe feels a bit like a scampi style shrimp dish - jumbo shrimp are marinated (coriander, black pepper, turmeric, lime, and salt) and then quickly sauteed with onion, curry leaves, and garlic. The dish is sprinkled with green peppercorns before serving. Not having green ones, I used some pink peppercorns (and lime zest, not called for, but I like it).
I served this with a farro and red lentil salad that followed, sort of, the outline of the Bulgar Moong Salad in the book. For that dish you would start by soaking both bulgar and yellow moong dal overnight. I used cooked farro and red lentils instead. The base of the dressing is oil that you heat very hot and then pour over garlic to infuse it. Once it cools, you add fresh mint for additional flavor. After a couple hours, you are supposed to strain those out. I didn’t bother. You proceed by adding the salad ingredients to your infused oil - the wheat and dal, ginger, tomatoes, scallions, lime juice, and salt to taste.
The salad was tasty and had the added benefit that it could be made and sit while I worked on everything else. If I make it in the future, I think I will sprinkle some more mint over before serving to boost that flavor. This would be a nice lunch box salad during a work week.
The shrimp was the star of the evening! The citrus and the garlic really popped. The turmeric and the peppercorns added a nice warmth and mild bite. And, fried curry leaves are delightful!
