Garlic Chile Shrimp

 Garlic Chile Shrimp

from Burma Superstar

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 3. 4 as part of a larger meal)

Garlic Paste:

-2 heads garlic, broken into cloves and peeled

-1/2 c canola oil

-1 tsp paprika

-1/4 tsp turmeric

-1 tbsp fish sauce

-salt (optional)

Garlic Chile Shrimp:

-1/4 c garlic paste

-1 lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined

-1/2 c sliced yellow onion or shallot

-1 small dried chile, broken in half, seeds retained

-1/2 jalapeno, sliced crosswise

-salt (optional)

-cilantro sprigs for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Garlic Paste:

Put the garlic cloves in a small saucepan, cutting any overly large ones in half so they are all about the same size/they will cook evenly. Cover with the oil and place over low heat. Cook at a lazy simmer, stirring occasionally, until the garlic cloves have softened and turned from white to golden, but aren't falling apart yet. About 15 minutes. Watch the garlic carefully: you should see small bubbles forming along the sides of the cloves. The oil should not be bubbling vigorously. Remove the pan from the heat and let the garlic cool in the oil to warm room temp.

In food processor, puree the garlic and oil and spices. Blend in the fish sauce and taste, adding more fish sauce or salt if it's not noticeably salty. (It will be where the shrimp get most of their flavor, so it should be assertive.) You will have about 1/2 cup of paste, twice what you need for one recipe of garlic chile shrimp. The extra can be refrigerated and keeps for at least 3 months.

To make the garlic chile shrimp, mix the garlic paste into the shrimp in a bowl. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and stir-fry, letting the shrimp sear against the base of the wok (by avoiding constant stirring) for 2 minutes. Add the onions, chile, and jalapeno and cook til the onion has softened but is still slightly crisp and the shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Taste, add salt as desired. Sprinkle cilantro on top before serving.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined *We like it best will ALL the shell removed, but you CAN keep the tail shell on if you want
1 cup cornstarch
4 cups oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, sliced thin
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
¼ cup scallions, sliced
3 cups white rice, cooked

For sauce *We improvised this just to add a drizzle of wet flavor

Gochujang
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Fishsauce
ginger
Honey

DIRECTIONS

1.) Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.

2.) Add the shrimp to a medium bowl. Cover with cold water and let sit until thawed, about 20 minutes.

3.) Drain the thawed shrimp on paper towels and pat dry.

4.) Place the cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss until well-coated. *Next time we will add salt and pepper to cornstarch before adding shrimp

5.)Heat the oil in a wok or large pan until it reaches 400°F (200°C). Add the garlic and fry for 40 seconds-1 minute, until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a strainer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

6.) Fry the shrimp, about 6-8 at a time, for 2 minutes, or until light golden brown. Transfer to the wire rack to drain.

7.) In a clean wok or large pan, add the ginger and red pepper flakes and toast for 2 minutes, until the ginger is starting to brown.

8.) Add the shrimp and toss to combine. Season with the salt and pepper and toss until well-coated.

9.) Transfer the shrimp to a plate, drizzle on sauce and garnish with the scallions and fried garlic. Serve over rice.

Korean Chicken Tacos a la Blue Apron

It's been fun scamming the Hello Fresh/Blue Apron system (getting free trial boxes of ingredients and recipes then canceling immediately) and although Hello Fresh has emerged as the winner in terms of cool recipes, this Blue Apron chicken came out tasty enough that I wanted to preserve it for future reference.

NOTE: Blue Apron thinks all humans eat about 1/4c of food per meal. Proportions are weird, but the recipe yielded enough sauce to coat about 2 chicken breasts, so up to you to determine the ratio of sauce to protein.

INGREDIENTS:

-10oz. chopped chicken breast

-4 tortillas

-1 lb. sweet potato

-1 tsp furikake (sesame seeds and seaweed)

-2 tbsp creme fraiche

-1/2 lb. cabbage

SAUCE:

-2 tbsp black bean sauce (SOOOOO GOOOOOOD)

-1 tbsp gochujang

-1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

-1/4 c sushi sauce

-cornstarch *I recommend adding some while you are cooking the sauce to nicely thicken it up

NUTRITION: 820cal per serving (2 servings total)

DIRECTIONS:

-Roast the sweet potatoes however you want at 450 and garnish with the furikake when done.

-Thinly slice the cabbage and drizzle with half the rice wine vinegar and some olive oil.

-Mix the sauce ingredients together, adding gochujang to taste (try it beforehand--I used about half of it! REALLY good...)

-Chop and cook without stirring to brown the chicken (I used a wok)

-Add the sauce and cook til the sauce is nice and thick (add the corn starch if you want)

-Serve your chicken in the tortillas smeared with creme fraiche (with a little salt sprinkled on it) as well as the cabbage. Stuff the sweet potatoes in there too if you want! Otherwise, just a nice side. 

SunButter Dan Dan Noodles

Homemade Chinese Food!

or

MAKE AND CONSUME 4 BATCHES OF THESE NOODLES RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

(From Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking)

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. gluten-free linguine

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

2 tbsp finely minced or grated ginger

2 tbsp coconut amino acids (Worcestershire Sauce is also useable for allergy-folks, soy sauce is fine otherwise)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp sriracha

1/3 cup smooth SunButter/sunflower seed butter (non-allergy-folks, peanut butter can work)

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp salt

3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds, plus more for garnish

1/2 English cucumber, peeled, quartered, and diced, for garnish.

DIRECTIONS:

1.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to box.

2.) In a large bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, coconut amino acids, oil, sugar, vinegar, and chile sauce. Mix well. Add the SunButter, chicken broth, and salt. Stir until smooth.

3.) Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce, tossing to coat. Mix in the green onions, cilantro, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.

4.) Serve garnished with the diced cucumber and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds.

NOTES:

-SO easy!! Complex flavors make it seem so much fancier/harder than it actually is!

-Recipe has a good kick, so follow it without embellishment first...

-I didn't use cilantro and honestly, I don't think it needs it...

-Second go round included some chopped greenery and chicken chunks sauteed in the sauce. I recommend those additions.