Crawfish or Shrimp Curry

Step 1: In a 2 - 3 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic and sauté for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stir, and cook for 2 minutes, then whisk in the stock, pineapple juice, and curry paste. Bring to a boil, whisking, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the crawfish (or shrimp), apple, and zucchini and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the zucchini is just starting to soften, then transfer the mixture to the sauce and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the crawfish (or shrimp) are bright pink and opaque. Season with salt and cayenne, or add a bit more curry paste if necessary. Serve with the rice and any or all of the toppings.

NOTE 1: Use shells from shrimp to make a flavorful stock. Put them in a large saucepan with 1 roughly chopped onion and cover with water or low-sodium chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.

NOTE 2: Pappadum are very thin pancakes that can be found in Indian markets and in the international foods section of good supermarkets. Premade pappadaum come in dozens of flavors - spiced with cumin, cracked pepper, green chilies, garlic, fennel, and combinations. To prepare pappadum, heat a heavy griddle or skillet until it is very hot; add a pappadum and cook for about 1 minutes, pushing down on it gently with a metal spoon or spatula, until bubbles form in the pappadum and it's browned in spots, then flip it over and briefly brown the other side. You can also deep-fry them in hot oil until bubbly and crisp.