Curry shrimp, papaya

A powerful and fragrant marinade is prepared and then cooled down for shrimp to bask. After a term of chilled marination, the marinade with the shrimp is heated to boil just long enough for the shrimp to turn color, about 2.5 or 3 minutes. 

Papaya and banana are diced and coated with lime juice. The fruit is added to the heated shrimp off the heat, so the fruit is barely warmed through and not at all cooked. 

Small white beans are prepared separately. 

ARTS !

This is a ripe red papaya ↑. 

What? It is green and yellow, you say? 

It's kind of red on the inside, more of an orange color, actually ↓. 

The white beans are small enough that they do not need to be presoaked, but these were pressure cooked on low setting for 30 minutes in flavorful water. Rice might have been a better starch but I am out of white rice. The brown rice that I have would be cooked the same way as the beans, wild rice a little bit longer at higher pressure. 

Bean cooking liquid: 

*  two cups tap water

*  three bay leaves

*  15 or so peppercorns

*  1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

*  1/2 teaspoon cumin seed

*  1/4 teaspoons whole cloves

*  salt and pepper

* 1/2 LB small white beans, sorted for stones and other oddities

I've heard more than a few times that salt toughens beans while cooking, but that is not true. Acid does toughen the surface of beans while cooking which is a fact of chemistry that the cook can use to their advantage when sturdiness for endurance, long cooking times, transportation, reheating, etc., are anticipated. 

The curry is an impulse combination of things I had on had that seemed to me would be good together. The aim is to contrive a flavorful marinade that hits all the taste spots and has the flavor of curry. The basis is prepared curry powder. I am conscious to include something sweet and something hot. 

Curry marinade / sauce:

*  1 cup tap water

*  1 large clove garlic, grated

*  1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

*  1 hot pepper either red or green, finely diced

*  2 chipotle peppers finely diced. (this turned out to be quite hot, maybe 1 would be better)

*  1 small onion, sliced in half from tip to root then sliced thinly

*  2 level tablespoons prepared curry (any type will do)

*  3 tablespoons mango chutney

*  salt / black pepper

The papaya is cubed and the banana sliced. Both are coated with fresh lime juice. 

1)  The beans are prepared

2)  The marinade is prepared by heating the vegetables, adding the spices, then cooling. 

3)  Frozen shrimp are thawed and added to the cooled marinade. 

4)  Half a large papaya is cubed and coated with fresh lime juice. 

5)  When the time comes, immediately before service, a burner is turned on high. Simultaneously, the beans are reheated. The pot with the shrimp is put on the burner and carefully watched for the few minutes it takes for the marinade to boil and for the shrimp to change color. The pot is removed from the heat immediately and the cubed and acidulated fruit is added to the pot with the shrimp. A plate is prepared with the shrimp and fruit and then the beans (or rice) is turned out on top of it all. The plate is positioned on the photography station and the lights are set up. Several shots are taken of the plate from various angles, distances, and camera settings. ← Sorry about that, I got carried away there for a second. The plate is served.