Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

400 gm large shrimp (peeled, deveined, washed, drained, tails intact)

400 gm fine spaghetti 

400 gm cherry tomato (halved)

100 gm fresh green string beans (halved, lengthwise)

1 tsp minced garlic

Juice of one lemon + its grated zest 

1 small bunch of fresh dill (chopped, leaves only)

2 pods of red hot chilis (seeded, finely chopped)

Salt + pepper + 7 spices + 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp oil

2 tbsp olive oil + 20 gm butter (could be substituted with olive oil)

Method:

In a large cooking pot, add boiling salted water with a teaspoonful of oil.  Add spaghetti and bring to the boil only for five seconds.  Put off the heat and leave spaghetti in water; covered, for nine minutes.  This will  cook it al dente.  Meanwhile, heat a cooking pan.  Add oil, butter and garlic, then lower heat to low.  Stir garlic only to become slightly yellowish.  Stir in seasoning and dill.  Add string beans and shrimp.  Stir until shrimp turns orange in colour.  Stir in chili and tomato.  Add juice and zest. Add a small amount of pasta water.  Bring to a boil.  Gently stir to mix all ingredients and cover; over very low heat.  Allow to cook for a few minutes.  Remove off heat.  Drain spaghetti.  Bring it forward to add to shrimp, then gently stir to mix well and incorporate with other ingredients.  Add chopped dill.  Serve adding a few sprigs of fresh dill on top of the serving dish.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 3 August, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly