Not every holiday miracle comes wrapped in pretty paper and tied with a bow. This one happened in the kitchen.
Doug was home for the Christmas break and he and his friends were planning a New Year's Eve party. To cut costs, they decided not to pay inflated restaurant prices and after much texting back and forth, it was decided that my house would be the location of choice and the menu would be potluck. Doug scurried about tidying up the house, laid in some champagne, and then tucked into a cookbook to decide what he would make for the party.
This in itself is a minor miracle since in all his years, I have never seen Doug express any interest whatsoever in cooking. Intrigued by this new persona, I watched him study a new cookbook he'd bought for Bryn called Burma: Rivers of Flavor. Yes, that's correct: Doug The Inexperienced One was going to skip right past familiar American food and prepare a Burmese dish for his friends!
After some consideration, he chose a shrimp salad with ingredients that were easy to find in little ol' Ojai and lo and behold, he produced a beautiful dish that was the hit of the party.
Burmese Shrimp Salad
2 Tablespoons peanut oil or shallot oil
1 Pound medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed, then patted dry
3 Scallions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 Medium English cucumber
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 Teaspoon red chile powder
1 Teaspoon fish sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
First, make the shallot oil by slicing a shallot thinly and frying in peanut oil over medium-high heat, about 10-12 minutes. When the shallot slices are golden brown, removed them from the oil, drain on a paper towel and let cool. Set aside for another use, like topping a green salad or a casserole. Set aside the shallot oil, all but 2 tablespoons, to use in salad dressings or whatever recipe calls for a onion-garlic flavored oil.
Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or wide skillet and heat until a test piece of scallion starts to sizzle when dropped in the oil, then start adding the shrimp. Stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink, only about a minute or two. Transfer the shrimp to a cutting board and when they are cool, cut into small pieces.
Cut the cucumber into 1-1/2-inch lengths and julienne. You should wind up with about a cup. Add the scallions, cucumber, cilantro and chile to the shrimp and toss lightly. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and toss to mix well. Taste and add a little salt if necessary, toss once more and serve immediately.
To add just a bit more flavor and texture, Doug added some crushed roasted peanuts just before serving. This salad is refreshing and crunchy and very welcome on a table laden with dishes rich in cheese or cream. And, the miracle is that Doug made it!
This recipe serves 4-6, but Doug doubled the recipe to feed his group of 12, and it worked beautifully.
Doug was home for the Christmas break and he and his friends were planning a New Year's Eve party. To cut costs, they decided not to pay inflated restaurant prices and after much texting back and forth, it was decided that my house would be the location of choice and the menu would be potluck. Doug scurried about tidying up the house, laid in some champagne, and then tucked into a cookbook to decide what he would make for the party.
This in itself is a minor miracle since in all his years, I have never seen Doug express any interest whatsoever in cooking. Intrigued by this new persona, I watched him study a new cookbook he'd bought for Bryn called Burma: Rivers of Flavor. Yes, that's correct: Doug The Inexperienced One was going to skip right past familiar American food and prepare a Burmese dish for his friends!
After some consideration, he chose a shrimp salad with ingredients that were easy to find in little ol' Ojai and lo and behold, he produced a beautiful dish that was the hit of the party.
Burmese Shrimp Salad
2 Tablespoons peanut oil or shallot oil
1 Pound medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed, then patted dry
3 Scallions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 Medium English cucumber
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/4 Teaspoon red chile powder
1 Teaspoon fish sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
First, make the shallot oil by slicing a shallot thinly and frying in peanut oil over medium-high heat, about 10-12 minutes. When the shallot slices are golden brown, removed them from the oil, drain on a paper towel and let cool. Set aside for another use, like topping a green salad or a casserole. Set aside the shallot oil, all but 2 tablespoons, to use in salad dressings or whatever recipe calls for a onion-garlic flavored oil.
Place 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or wide skillet and heat until a test piece of scallion starts to sizzle when dropped in the oil, then start adding the shrimp. Stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink, only about a minute or two. Transfer the shrimp to a cutting board and when they are cool, cut into small pieces.
Cut the cucumber into 1-1/2-inch lengths and julienne. You should wind up with about a cup. Add the scallions, cucumber, cilantro and chile to the shrimp and toss lightly. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and toss to mix well. Taste and add a little salt if necessary, toss once more and serve immediately.
To add just a bit more flavor and texture, Doug added some crushed roasted peanuts just before serving. This salad is refreshing and crunchy and very welcome on a table laden with dishes rich in cheese or cream. And, the miracle is that Doug made it!
This recipe serves 4-6, but Doug doubled the recipe to feed his group of 12, and it worked beautifully.
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