Chilli shrimp (prawns) – One of my life time pursuits is to find the ultimate recipe for chilli shrimp. So far this is it, a few ingredients, quick to cook and quicker to eat. Only 4 ingredients are needed; shrimp (prawns), butter, garlic and chillies. In this example I also used a bed of fettuccine. The one thing I am yet to settle on is to peel or not peel the shrimp prior to cooking, but I think I have a workable compromise. Here is another recipe that highlights the head and shell as centre on shrimpy tasty flavour – http://wtseafood.com/recipe-linguini-with-head-on-shrimp-tomatoes-and-garlic/
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Thai Green Curry Paste
Just can’t beat the fresh flavor of a green curry made from scratch. And great therapy to mash and grind the ingredients into a paste.
This recipe will make 5 to 6 tablespoons of paste. I generally freeze this, with minimal effect on flavor, and good for a few months.
See the “Thai Green Chicken Curry” post
Thai Green Curry Paste
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ tablespoon cumin seed
- 5 white peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon grass
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped galangal I use a fine grater
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander root
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped kaffir lime leaf
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 15 green chillies 20 grams
- 1-2 large green chillies
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
Instructions
- Chop up as fine as possible. (Note the image above shows red chillies from a previous time I made this and couldn’t get Thai green chillies) Depending on personal taste deseed chillies, or use less to adjust the hotness.
- Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds in fry pan, this should take only a few minutes, take off the heat once you can smell the spices. Then grind and set to one side.
- In a mortar and pestle grind together all other ingredients other than the shrimp paste. (Do this starting with the salt and lemongrass and add in order as listed in the ingredients list. This adds each in order of hardness and grind into paste before adding the next ingredient)
- Finally add the ground seeds and shrimp paste and mix into a smooth paste.
Nutrition
Remove the woody center steam from the kaffir lime leaf.
Chop up as fine as possible. (Note the image above shows red chilies from a previous time I made this and couldn’t get Thai green chilies) Depending on personal taste deseed chillies, or use less to adjust the hotness.
- Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan; this should take only a few minutes. Take off the heat once you can smell the spices. Then, grind and set to one side.
- In a mortar and pestle, grind together all other ingredients other than the shrimp paste. (Do this starting with the salt and lemongrass and add in order as listed in the ingredients list. This adds each in order of hardness and grind into a paste before adding the next ingredient)
- Finally add the ground seeds and shrimp paste and mix into a smooth paste.
Here is a slightly different version of the recipe from the TempleOfThai website.
Napoli Sauce – Italian tomato sauce
The most important step in making a good Napoli sauce is in selecting the right tomatoes. I am sure homegrown tomatoes are great for a Napoli sauce, but I have tried and get the best results by using canned Italian tomatoes. A wise Italian explained to me to only use canned tomatoes that contain only tomatoes and tomato juice. The theory goes that additional citric acid is only ever added because the tomatoes were not fully ripe when they were canned in order to preserve them. Whether or not this is true by following this tip I have ended up with the best-tasting Napoli sauce.
This is a general-purpose sauce that can be used with pasta dishes, pizza toping, etc… I generally make a big pot full and freeze it in 2-cup quantities so it is always on hand to make a quick pasta, etc…
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