Shrimp bhuna
A fast, stovetop shrimp bhuna for 2 servings with shrimp folded into a thick, brick-red masala of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and warm spices. The sauce is cooked down until glossy and clings tightly to the shrimp, which keeps the dish concentrated and lightly saucy rather than soupy. Serve it hot as a main course with rice or flatbread.
Estimated calories and US ingredient costs.
This recipe scales best in a wide skillet rather than a deeper pot. For 4 servings, use a 14-inch skillet or cook the masala in two batches so the onions and tomatoes can brown instead of steam. Keep the shrimp timing the same and do not double the cook time; shrimp overcook quickly, while the sauce should be reduced by sight, not by a fixed doubled timer.
Your whole cook, in one place.
Ingredients, steps and a live timeline. Ready for 2 people.
Step timeline
Cooking order
7 leftPrep the masala ingredients
~5 minPrep the masala ingredients.
Pat the 12 oz shrimp dry with paper towels and set them aside.
Measure the 8 oz finely chopped yellow onion, 8 oz canned crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup water, and the spices so they are ready before you start cooking.
A bhuna moves quickly once the onions begin browning, so having everything staged keeps the sauce from scorching.
Ingredients
- 8 oz total for recipeYellow onion
- 8 ozCanned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbspGrated fresh ginger
- 2 tspGarlic
- 1/4 cupWater
Build the onion base
~11 minBuild the onion base.
Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant and sizzling.
Add the chopped onion and 1/2 tsp kosher salt, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are deep golden and starting to stick lightly to the pan.
Ingredients
- 8 oz total for recipeYellow onion
- 2 tbspNeutral oil
- 1 tspCumin seeds
- 1/2 tspKosher salt
Add ginger, garlic, and powdered spices
~2 minAdd ginger, garlic, and powdered spices.
Stir in 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, and 1/4 tsp granulated sugar.
Cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells cooked and the spices lose their raw edge.
If the pan looks dry before the spices bloom, splash in 1 to 2 tbsp of the measured water.
Ingredients
- 1 tbspGrated fresh ginger
- 2 tspGarlic
- 1 tspGround coriander
- 1/2 tspTurmeric
- 1/2 tspKashmiri chili powder
- 1/4 tspGranulated sugar
Cook the tomato down hard
~8 minCook the tomato down hard.
Add the 8 oz canned crushed tomatoes and the remaining water.
Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every minute and scraping the pan bottom.
The sauce should thicken, darken, and reduce so oil starts to separate at the edges.
If it still looks loose and wet, keep cooking a few minutes longer before adding shrimp.
Ingredients
- 12 oz total for recipeLarge shrimp
- 8 ozCanned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp total for recipeNeutral oil
- 1/4 cup total for recipeWater
Simmer the shrimp just until opaque
~4 minSimmer the shrimp just until opaque.
Add the 12 oz shrimp in an even layer and stir to coat them in the masala.
Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice, until the shrimp curl, turn pink, and reach 145°F in the center.
Do not overcook them, because they will firm up as soon as the pan comes off the heat.
Ingredients
- 12 ozLarge shrimp
Finish with lemon and cilantro
~14 minFinish with lemon and cilantro.
Turn off the heat.
Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro.
Taste for balance, keeping in mind the tomatoes and shrimp already bring some salinity; if you want a sharper finish, a little extra lemon is better than more salt.
The bhuna should be thick enough to mound on a spoon, not soupy.
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp total for recipeKosher salt
- 1 tbspLemon juice
- 2 tbspCilantro
Serve meal
~1 minOnce all dishes are cooked and ready, plate and serve the meal together.
Shrimp bhuna: Serve immediately.
Shrimp bhuna: Spoon the shrimp bhuna into shallow bowls and scrape every bit of the concentrated sauce over the top.
Shrimp bhuna: Serve hot with rice or flatbread if desired.
Make the next one yours.
Create a custom meal with what you have.
Read the traditional recipe
Ingredients
For 2 people
- 12 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 8 oz yellow onion, finely chopped
- 8 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Method
- Prep the masala ingredientsPat the 12 oz shrimp dry with paper towels and set them aside. Measure the 8 oz finely chopped yellow onion, 8 oz canned crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup water, and the spices so they are ready before you start cooking. A bhuna moves quickly once the onions begin browning, so having everything staged keeps the sauce from scorching.
- Build the onion baseHeat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant and sizzling. Add the chopped onion and 1/2 tsp kosher salt, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are deep golden and starting to stick lightly to the pan.
- Add ginger, garlic, and powdered spicesStir in 1 tbsp grated ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, and 1/4 tsp granulated sugar. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells cooked and the spices lose their raw edge. If the pan looks dry before the spices bloom, splash in 1 to 2 tbsp of the measured water.
- Cook the tomato down hardAdd the 8 oz canned crushed tomatoes and the remaining water. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every minute and scraping the pan bottom. The sauce should thicken, darken, and reduce so oil starts to separate at the edges. If it still looks loose and wet, keep cooking a few minutes longer before adding shrimp.
- Simmer the shrimp just until opaqueAdd the 12 oz shrimp in an even layer and stir to coat them in the masala. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice, until the shrimp curl, turn pink, and reach 145°F in the center. Do not overcook them, because they will firm up as soon as the pan comes off the heat.
- Finish with lemon and cilantroTurn off the heat. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Taste for balance, keeping in mind the tomatoes and shrimp already bring some salinity; if you want a sharper finish, a little extra lemon is better than more salt. The bhuna should be thick enough to mound on a spoon, not soupy.
- Serve immediatelySpoon the shrimp bhuna into shallow bowls and scrape every bit of the concentrated sauce over the top. Serve hot with rice or flatbread if desired.
Before you cook
What to get ready
Wide skillet or heavy saucepan as directed, tongs, sauce bowl and pasta or rice pot if listed.
Chop onion finely and reduce the tomato masala before adding the shrimp.
If something needs adjusting
Shrimp overcooks while sauce reduces
Finish the thick sauce first, then cook shrimp briefly in it until opaque and pearly.
Shrimp become tough
Prepare the sauce and starch before the final shrimp cook. Shrimp should become pearly and opaque; prolonged simmering tightens them.
Store for later
Store cooked shrimp and any pasta or rice promptly in shallow containers. Reheat gently to 165°F and keep raw garnishes separate.
Refrigerate perishables within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep the fridge at 40°F or below; use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. USDA storage and reheating guidance.
Make the ingredients go further
Use extra tomatoes and ginger in chana masala.
Next use for your ingredients: Chana masala →
Calculate this meal with your own prices →
Cooking notes updated October 24, 2026. How we create recipes.
Tips, swaps and questions
A little kitchen know-how
For the best bhuna texture, let the tomato mixture cook down until it stops looking watery before the shrimp go in. If you add shrimp too early, the sauce will stay thin and the shrimp can overcook while you wait for reduction. A wide skillet helps evaporation and keeps the masala concentrated.
Make it work for you
If you do not have Kashmiri chili powder, use the same amount of mild paprika for color and cut the heat slightly with a pinch of cayenne if desired. If fresh tomatoes are in season, you can replace the canned crushed tomatoes with 10 oz very ripe chopped tomatoes, but cook them a few minutes longer so the moisture fully evaporates and the masala still turns glossy.
Use more of your yellow onion and ginger in chicken vindaloo.
Why does the sauce need to cook down before the shrimp are added?
Bhuna style depends on reduction. The onion, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes should lose excess water first so the spices fry in oil and the masala becomes thick and glossy. If the shrimp go in while the sauce is still loose, they release moisture and the final dish turns more like a curry than a bhuna.
Times are estimates. Check ingredients for allergens. For safe temperatures and storage, see FoodSafety.gov.