Garlic Shrimp
Serves 4-6
1 Lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact 1 C. water 3 1/2 TBS fish sauce 2 TBS sugar 1/2 C. cilantro roots, finely chopped (I use stems) 1/4 C. garlic, finely chopped 1 TBS ground white pepper 1/8 C. vegetable oil (I use grape seed) Red lettuce leaves Lime sauce (recipe follows)
Mix the water, fish sauce and sugar until dissolved. Set aside.
Pound or grind the coriander root (or stems) and garlic to a course paste with a mortar and pestle. If you use a blender or food processor you may need to add oil.
Heat your wok, add oil and swirl. Stir-fry your paste until it is a light golden brown. Add pepper and fry for about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and stir-fry until firm and pink. Add the fish sauce mixture and toss well over moderate heat.
Arrange a single layer of lettuce leaves in a bowl and spoon the shrimp over them. Serve with lime sauce and rice.
Lime Sauce Makes 1/2 cup
4 serrano chilies, stems removed, finely chopped 1/4 C plus 2 TBS. lime juice (fresh only!) 3 TBS. fish sauce
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately.
Many thanks to Judith for the review and excellent recipe. I sure wish all my readers were as nice as she is (wink wink, nudge nudge). If you get the urg to send me a cookbook review (recipes are optional), please put "Cookbook" in the subject so I know that you're one of my nicer readers.