I think it was Heather that said of this project that it was a folly of my own making, and it is absolutely  true.  I am COMPELLED to make these crazy film star recipes, even when I sometimes look at them askance and think:

that sounds weird. 

So it was with this one.  Why would I spend time making a curry from tomato soup, condensed milk and bacon?  You may well ask. 

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Let’s just say this my lovelies.  Firstly, I need a Susan Clark recipe for my big new project (known henceforth as the BNP  – ah no, I’ll have to think of something else).  Secondly, I have been following the much beloved Caker Cooking for “time” (as the youth around these parts say) and I’m a bit distraught today, as Brian has hung up his pinny.  If you have never seen the splendour of Brian’s site please go there immediately….  This recipe of Susan’s (although it probably has too many ingredients to fully qualify) is a bit of a Caker Cooking Curry. 

After following Caker Cooking for a while, the brain tends to think along these lines…  “curry that includes tomato soup and condensed milk MIGHT be good?”

Best and Worst Caker Cooking

Best and Worst Caker Cooking

How am I going to cope without Brian’s guidance?  Of course, I am partly envious of his massive life decision to just STOP.  These blogs are like runaway trains sometimes.  Once there are 800 or so posts, what are you going to do with it all?  Just say, TO HELL WITH IT?  Well, I’m not ready for that just yet, so will continue plodding along…

And I will continue to make mistakes.  And here is one.

This was basically tomato soup with prawns in (for a lengthy debate about American shrimp vs English prawns see here….. )

Susan’s dish was very odd indeed.  A bit like Susan herself.  I want to see more stuff with her in.  She’s interesting…  And, I see from the interwebs – Canadian.  See Brian!   Tonight’s recipe was just meant to be!  Perhaps Susan grew up in a Caker household?

Susan Clark’s Shrimp Curry

2 strips bacon (cut fine)
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 can tomato soup and 1/2 can water
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 can condensed milk
Salt and pepper
6 large shrimp

Fry bacon with minced onions, mix with milk, add soup, flour and all other ingredients.  Cook until thick.  Add shrimp. Serve with rice.

If you really want to make this, and are as perplexed as I was by the vague ingredients list, here is what I did.  I used a *limited edition* 295g can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup with the same amount of water.  I used half a 410g can of EVAPORATED MILK (because I am dumb and didn’t realise that condensed milk was different to evaporated) and 155g precooked prawns.  The rest was as per Susan’s directions.  I reckon I have three sturdy portions of curry to eat, at my desk, at some point way, way, way into the future, when I have forgotten what these frozen orange lumps are, but put them it in the work microwave anyhow, just to see what happens….  I call these things UFOs – unidentified frozen objects – because I can never be bothered to label them…

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It looks quite good, don’t it?!

If you like tomato soup, which I do.  And you like curry, which I do.  And like prawns, which I am coming around to….  You might like this.  But if I were you, I’d just ‘phone your nearest Indian restaurant and get a nice tasty prawn curry made like it should be.  This recipe was published in 1970 (44 years ago folks!) and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as easy to phone through an order for the most delicious food known to man, and have it turn up 20 minutes later then, as it is now… 

Mind you, I’m in London, I realise that what I have just written could be very annoying if you live somewhere else in the world,  a long way from this kind of delight…

Thank GOD for the Great British curry house!

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What did I do with Susan’s curry?  I tasted a few spoonfuls, I did, honestly.  It wasn’t inedible, just strange.  Then I quickly parceled it up, popped it in the freezer and no doubt will be very pleased to have it some cold days soon in Camden for lunch at the office. 

I still love you Susan!

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