East Meets West Shrimp

A few weeks ago I mentioned using some Vietnamese chili garlic sauce; this sauce is my new best friend in the kitchen. The brand I'm using is Huy Fong Foods. Today I decided to use it with shrimp I planned to cook. Sorry some of the photos are slightly blurry, but when I'm cooking I have to hurry with the photos.

I put a cup of mixed brown rice on to cook. I happen to like Lundberg Family Farms Jubilee rice. Please see their website for information on the arsenic testing they are doing on their rice varieties. At my ripe age I doubt arsenic will affect my health. What you choose to eat or feed your children is an individual choice. I happen to think whole grain rice is better for me and I like the taste and I have confidence in this company's products. They are also participating in non GMO research and testing. Meanwhile I peel, de-vein, and butterfly about three quarters of a pound of medium sized white shrimp which I got at Shelly's Seafood in Homosassa. Then I cut up my broccoli and put in a pan ready to steam.

Meanwhile I melt a little butter in a large frying pan and soften about seven quartered mushrooms and set them aside. Then I saute one shallot and a one inch cube of fresh ginger chopped fine, and one red bell pepper chopped medium till softened and set those aside. Turn your broccoli on to cook about now. When the steamer starts to boil turn down to medium heat for two or so minutes then turn off the heat; the steam will finish cooking the broccoli and keep it warm. I like my broccoli al dente. Meanwhile check the rice, when almost all of the water is gone, stir, put the cover back on and turn off the heat.

I add two pats of butter to the same pan and sauteed the shrimp on medium heat with the butterflied side face down. You can slide the pan back and forth across the burner to improve the cooking. You know like you see the chef's on TV doing. Ha. I don't turn over medium sized shrimp, but large sized I probably would When the shrimp turns just slightly pink I drizzle one heaping teaspoon of the Vietnamese chili garlic sauce and two tablespoons of store bought Greek vinaigrette marinade over the shrimp. The vinaigrette may sound strange to use, but as it turned out it was just the right addition. Next I sprinkled the reserved mushrooms, peppers, ginger and shallots over the top and toss lightly with a spatula to warm everything up again. Don't over cook shrimp or they become tough and chewy.

At the last minute I add a tightly packed cup of cilantro and I toss gently till just mixed in and slightly wilted. I serve the East Meets West Shrimp with the rice and broccoli. This is so delicious and the unexpected addition of the vinaigrette helps to meld all the flavors together.

Several of my readers said they don't like cilantro. If so, you could add a quarter cup of flat leaf parsley or some other fresh herb of your choice. Gary said he used to dislike cilantro but now he says he loves it. I think cilantro is an acquired taste a bit like Brussels sprouts. The latter I like but Gary won't touch, at least not yet. Ha. Still working on that one, but probably won't succeed. This post is part of the Mud Colony what's happening in (and around) the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.