A Recipe with a Side of PSA

Erik loves my stir fry and I have to be honest--cooking creatively seems to be natural for me. I enjoy taking odds and ends and making them into something delicious. I create less waste and discover new dishes. So when Woman's Day presented the opportunity to make curry with rice and shrimp I went out of my way to use the new wok I received for Christmas.

Plus, one of my new year's resolutions was to eat out less (four times a week--and I'm already at my limit because I'm so used to eating out) often, so making the effort to cook and clean up afterwards is sticking to a plan.

I don't know what I did wrong to this recipe, but it was not good. I didn't use long grain rice because we had brown rice and I didn't follow the recipes a few other ways as well, but even though I used the correct amount of curry there was something about the flavor that was off--too bitter, too strong, too...something.

In keeping with more resolutions, I visited the gym after clearing the table. It didn't take too long to recognize I had a problem.

I stank to high heaven. I felt sorry for the people working out around us but more than that, I felt sorry for Erik who has a sensitive nose and who is vehemently polite in all circumstances. The more I worked out, the stronger the odor became--and this was not regular body odor. This was what you refer to as "stank."

And I'm assuming that it was the curry. And it was. And if YOU stink here may be the top ten reasons unless you don't bathe or clean your house:

• Red meat
• Curry and Cumin
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Cabbage, Sauerkraut)
• Onions
• High Fiber Foods
• Fenugreek
• Durian Fruit
• Coffee

I frequently ingest at least half of these each week or day, so it looks like I've got some deodorizing to do. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
•  Kosher salt
•  Pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) fresh grated ginger
• 2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon(s) curry powder
• 1 cup(s) long-grain white rice
• 1 pound(s) (medium) peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1 cup(s) frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup(s) chopped fresh cilantro
•  Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat in the onion mixture. Stir in 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. Fold the shrimp and peas into the partially cooked rice and cook, covered, until the shrimp is opaque throughout and the rice is tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
4. Remove from the heat and fold in the cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

I also resolved not to drink as much (I'm a big wino beer-o), but still want something fizzy with dinner without drinking diet sodas or full sugar sodas all the time. So I bought Old Orchard Juices Pomegranate juice to mix with San Pellegrino water. It's refreshing (although you have to get used to it--just like black coffee) and there are several benefits:

• Pomegranate juice is an excellent source of vitamins C and E
• Grape seed extract is an antioxidant 
• There are no artificial flavors
• Drinking water helps control calories 

However one thing pomegranate juice will not do is flush your system of curry. That takes a few days and more than a few baths.