Browsing Tag

shrimp

Asian Recipes

Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate with Shanghai noodles and shrimp

Monday, January 26th, 2009 is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which this year celebrates the Ox. The festival starts according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the astronomical point of the second new moon after the winter solstice, and ends traditionally 15 days later.

Food, Legends, and Semantics

In Chinese mythology there was a beast named Nian or “Year” in Chinese. On the first day of the New Year, Nian would gobble up food crops, livestock, townspeople, and even children. For protection against Nian, the townspeople placed food in front of their homes, with the hopes that he would eat the food, and would not be hungry for more.

Foods have symbolic meaning in Chinese culture. For example, noodles are a symbol of longevity and long life. Mandarin oranges are symbolic of good luck, but in this case, it is a matter of semantics, the word orange in Chinese sounds like the word “Ji”, or the name “jīn jí” which means good luck, golden luck, or good fortune. Here’s another one: Pomelos, a fruit in the grapefruit family, sound very much like the chinese words “to have”, and so they signify abundance in the Chinese culture.

This video from the CBS early show features Chef Chris Cheung from China 1 restaurant in NYC, as he not only explains Chinese food traditions for the New Year but also demonstrates his recipe for a simple and authentic Shanghai noodle soup with shrimp, that you can easily prepare at home.

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Appetizer Recipes

Bacon madness and bacon wrapped shrimp!

tre-wilcoxBacon heaven! Watch as Chef Leanne Wong prepares Chef Tre Wilcox’s winning dish from season 3 of Bravo Tv’s Top Chef. This decadent meal is bacon wrapped shrimp over grilled corn and cheddar grits with a chipotle tomato sauce.

While you’re on a bacon kick, also feel free to watch chef Eric Ripert prepare bacon wrapped figs!

Recipe courtesy of Bravo Tv

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Chef Tre Wilcox

18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing

For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobo)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt

Wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides.

Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock or milk.

In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.

Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits, and serve.
Here’s an afterthought: bacon has hit the big time lately, achieving hipster status. Bacon bourbons and vodka, bacon ice cream, bacon popcorn, and even bacon bloggers, are just a few of the bacon candidates adoring the spotlight. Dan Phillips, CEO of the Bacon of the Month Club, says “Bacon is the chocolate of the new millennium”. We all agree that bacon is delicious, but, what do you think of this bacon bonanza? Overplayed or well deserved? Let us know in the comments!

Asian Recipes Fusion Recipes Indian Recipes Soup Recipes

A Warm and Delicious Coconut Shrimp Soup with Chef Vik Lulla

As the nights are getting cooler, we’ve decided it’s time for a soup recipe category!

Here we start off the fall season with Chef and owner of Chinese Mirch restaurant in NYC, Vik Lulla.  In this video he makes a coconut infused shrimp soup with rice noodles and cilantro, a broth that not only tastes exotic and delicious but it also smells wonderfully fragrant.  This soup is a fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine, and is brought to us from Real Meals Tv.

Recipe adapted from the video:

Coconut Infused Shrimp and Noodle Soup
Via Chef Vik Lulla

Ingredients:
Lemon
Thin rice noodles
4 Sprigs of Cilantro
2-3 Large Shrimp, butterflied with tails removed
¼ tsp. Coriander Powder
¼ tsp. Curry Powder
12 oz. Fish Stock
½ cup Coconut milk
¾ oz. White Vinegar
1. Add the stock to a very hot wok (or sauté pan).
2. As it begins to simmer, add the rice noodles and the shrimp.
3. Allow the shrimp to begin to curl into themselves. Add the cilantro,
breaking it roughly just before dropping it in.
4. Add both the coriander and curry powder.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer the whole broth for 1-2
minutes.
6. Add white vinegar and a squeeze of lemon to taste.
7. Garnish with cilantro, fried shallots and a lemon wedge

Appetizer Recipes Latin Recipes Seafood Recipes

Shrimp and scallop ceviche in a delicious citrus marinade with Chef Aaron Sanchez

Chef and owner of the Manhattan restaurant, Paladar, Aaron Sanchez creates a fusion Caribbean, Central and South American flavors. In this video Aaron creates a shrimp and scallop ceviche in citrus marinade, a perfect dish for summer.

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* Juice of 1 lemon
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tbsp. Tabasco
* 1/2 lb. 20 / 30 size sea scallops
* 1/2 lb. 16-20 size shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut in half lengthwise
* 1/2 med. Tomato, diced
* 1 jalapeno chile, chopped, seeded
* 1 tsp. Aji Amarillo
* 1 tbsp. chopped chives
* 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
* 1 cup mango nectar or orange juice
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 tsp. salt

Bring to boil medium pot of water. Add lemon juice, bay leaves, salt, submerge sea scallops for 5 minutes, add shrimp. Cook 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water into ice bath. Drain seafood. Cool. Combine remaining ingredients. Add to seafood.