Street Food Inspired Appetizers
Shrimp on Lemongrass Skewers :
This appetizer looks impressive but is easy to make. It’s simply curried paste of shrimp wrapped around stalks of lemongrass, then grilled or broiled. The lemongrass perfume flavors the shrimp, and the tender lemongrass centers are edible afterwards. This recipe would also work with chicken or pork, though sweet shrimp meat marries well with the light curry flavor.
In a food processor or blender, pulse together:
1 ½ lb shrimp, without shells
1 egg
2 Tbl tapioca starch
1 Tbl palm sugar
1 Tbl green curry paste
2 Tbl fish sauce
1/3 cup coconut cream
Miang Kam :
The last recipe I cooked from Crying Tiger is Miang Kam – leaves filled with pungent Thai herbs, dried shrimp, and coconut. Some people might look askance at biting into a leaf stuffed with whole chunks of lime, skin included, raw ginger and shallots, dried shrimp, and pieces of fresh chilies, but sweet and savory sauce mellows and balances these intense flavors, while each taste develops and then explodes on your tongue. People who are shy of chili can leave it out, and just fill each leaf with their favorite ingredients.
Arrange a plate with piles of :
1/3 cup roasted, shredded coconut
2 Tbl finely diced ginger
¼ cup diced Thai chilies (or jalapeno or bell peppers, if Thai chilies are unavailable or just too intimidating)
1/3 cup finely diced lime (or lemon), skin included
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/3 cup diced shallots or onions
2 Tbl dried shrimp
Make the sauce by roasting:
1 tsp minced galangal
in a foil packet, over a burner, for 1-2 minutes.
Combine in a saucepan and heat:
½ cup water
1/3 cup tamarind concentrate
½ cup palm sugar
1 tsp shrimp paste
2 tsp salt
roasted galangal
