Good Day Gourmet: Shrimp makhani with coconut rice

TAMPA (FOX 13) - With this recipe, the spices will be enough to open up your lungs and appetite. Vanessa created the Indian-style meal called shrimp makhani, with a side of coconut rice.

If you've ever had the East Indian cuisine, butter chicken, the sauce is pretty much the same.

Watch the video above for directions; here's what you'll need to make it:

INGREDIENTS:

Shrimp Makhani 
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 4 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp. garam masala
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced in small cubes
- 1 cup fresh peas (or defrosted frozen)
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt & pepper, to taste

Coconut Rice
- 2 cups rice
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Start by cooking the rice. Using a rice cooker, following manufacturer's instructions, (or a pot on the stove on low heat), mix together all coconut rice ingredients and cook until the liquid is all absorbed and the rice fluffs up.
- In a large pan on medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and cook for several minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- Add spices--garam masala, cumin, turmeric, cayenne--and cook for about 5 minutes until mixture become fragrant. Stir regularly.
- Mix in tomato puree, tomato paste, and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then add diced sweet potato and fresh peas. Simmer on low to medium-low for about 20 minutes, until sweet potato is soft when pierced with a fork.
- Add shrimp, plus the juice of a lemon, and cook for a few minutes until the shrimp is pink and curled into C-shapes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve alongside coconut rice!