Ebi (shrimp) tempura

Ebi (shrimp) tempura
February 1, 2010 Print This Post ShareThis
Filed under Fish & other seafood; Home-cooked meals; Asian, Japanese

Panko is a wonderful thing for fried food. And although traditionally used for dishes like tonkatsu, I like to use panko for making tempura too. Instead of dipping the shrimps in batter, I cooked my ebi tempura by dredging the shrimps in flour, coating them with egg and rolling them in panko before frying.
If you prefer the batter-coated version, see my camaron rebosado recipe. If you like your tempura to be extra crisp and if you want them to stay crisp a little longer than their battered brethren, try this recipe.

Serves 4.

12 to 15 large shrimps (or prawns), heads removed, shelled (and slit in half vertically, if you like, to yield more)
salt
1/2 c. of flour
1 egg, beaten
1 c. of panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
3 to 4 c. of vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce):

1/2 c. of dashi stock (powdered dashi dissolved in water)
1/8 c. of mirin
1/8 c. of light soy sauce
1 tsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of grated ginger (optional but recommended)
To make the tentsuyu: Heat the mirin in a pan. Add the soy sauce and dashi and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat, stir in the sugar and ginger. Leave to steep while you cook your tempura.

Dab the shrimps with paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt.

Prepare your coating ingredients like an assembly line — trust me, it makes everything easier. So have you flour, beaten egg and panko in separate bowls and line them on your working area.

Before you start coating your shrimps, start heating the cooking oil.

Holding each shrimp by the tail, dredge in flour and shake off the excess. Still holding the floured shrimp by the tail, roll it in the beaten egg. Roll the shrimp in panko and make sure that every inch of the surface is coated. Repeat the same procedure for all the shrimps. Line the prepared shrimps on a plate. It is best to finish the coating part before you start frying.

Test the oil by dropping one shrimp. If the shrimp sinks, the oil isn’t hot enough. If it browns too fast, the oil is too hot. Ideally, the shrimps should brown and cook in about 30 seconds.

Fry the shrimps in batches of six to eight to make sure that the temperature of the oil is retained. As soon as the shrimps brown, scoop them out and place in a strainer to remove any excess oil.

Fry the next batch of shrimps and drain. Repeat until all the shrimps are cooked.

Serve the tempura at once with tentsuyu, the traditional dipping sauce for tempura, on the side.

Korean scallion pancake (pajeon, p’ajon, pa jun)

It all started with the Korean scallion and seafood pancake (haemul pajeon) that we had at a Korean restaurant in Shangri-La Plaza last year. I was intrigued by the unique texture of the pancake and when I chanced upon a bag of Korean pancake mix (buchimgae) in an Oriental food shop in Cartimer, I grabbed one.

I was going to make the seafood version but I never seem to have all the seafood varieties that I need all at once so I procrastinated. Then, at the prodding of a fellow foodie who assured me that pajeon (or p’ajon or pa jun) is still delicious even without the seafood, I finally made Korean scallion pancake yesterday. It was so good. Who would have thought that with such simple ingredients anything can taste so delicious? The best thing is that, after a little research, I know that when the bag of pancake mix is empty, I will still be able to make Korean pancakes at home because I have discovered the basic ingredients for the pancake mix.

Makes one eight-inch pancake.
Ingredients:

1 c. of Korean pancake mix (buchimgae)
1 small or half a large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
a handful of the freshest mung bean sprouts that you can find
a bunch of scallions (green onion, onion leaves, sibuyas na mura), cut into one-inch lengths
vegetable cooking oil

Add water to the pancake mix. How much? Start with 1/2 cup of water for a cup of pancake mix. Stir the water and pancake mix. The consistency should be similar to Western pancake batter. Rather thin and pourable but not watery. If the mixture is too lumpy and thick, add more water little by little until you get the correct consistency.

Start adding the vegetables. First, the carrot sticks. Then, the mung bean sprouts. Finally, the scallions. Of course, you can change the order entirely. Or use some other combination of vegetables. But since this is a scallion pancake, don’t leave out the scallions. When all the vegetables have been added to the batter, stir.

Set the stove to medium heat. Pour enough oil into a frying fan so that the bottom is completely covered with oil. If you’re not using a non-stick pan, heat the pan before adding the oil to prevent the pancake from sticking. Don’t ask how that happens, I only know that it works.

Pour in the batter. Using a spatula or the back of spoon, swirl the batter to spread it. Or, tilt the pan around to get the same effect. When the underside of the pancake browns along the edges (or you can lift the pancake carefully to peek underneath), flip it using a wide turner or spatula. Or, if you can manage it (I can’t), toss the pancake into the air to flip it.

When both sides of the pancake are nicely browned, and crisp, lift and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the pancake into wedges. Why wedges and not rectangles or squares? To give everyone a share of the beautifully crisp edges.

There is a traditional dipping sauce for Korean scallion pancakes but I made my own: hoisin sauce, black vinegar, chili flakes and a little sesame seed oil.

This is a rather heavy pancake, much more dense than Western-style pancakes. Three slices and you’re full. While the outside is crisp, the inside is soft and moist and not cake-like at all. The rice flour in the pancake mix does give it a different texture.

Next time, I’ll make the seafood pancake by adding shucked clams, mussels, oysters, shrimps and sliced squid.

Nian Gao (tikoy), a Chinese New Year tradition

Known as tikoy in the Philippines, nian gao is a traditional Chinese New Year dish. Why it is so has many aspects. One account has it that it is an offering to bribe the Kitchen God (see reference in Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife) who reports everyone’s behavior to the Jade Emperor. Another interpretation is that “nian gao is a homonym for ‘every year higher and higher’.”

Nian gao is made with glutinous rice flour, sometimes steamed and, at other times, cooked in a pan and stirred until thick. It may be savory or sweetened. How it is served varies from region to region. It may simply be pan fried, stir fried with meat and vegetables, dropped into soups or made into a pudding.

Safe Cooking for Your Holiday Recipes

Millions of Americans will travel to someone else’s home to celebrate Christmas or New Years this year. Good luck if you’re the one expecting all those visitors, they’re probably going to be very hungry when they arrive! Here are some tips on cooking for large groups of people, food safety, and great recipes to help you out.

The most important thing when cooking for large groups is to make sure you’re aware of 4 basic food safety principles:

1. Clean hands, cutting boards and other kitchen surfaces regularly.
2. Separate raw meat, seafood and poultry (and their juices) from ready-to-eat foods and produce.
3. Cook foods to their recommended temperatures – use a food thermometer to verify the temperature.
4. Chill refrigerated foods properly to below 40 degrees fahrenheit and put leftovers away within 2 hours. Always thaw foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

You’d hate to have a houseful of sick guests because you forgot to use your meat thermometer on the turkey, turducken, rib roast or ham, right?

Also, be sure to take extra care preparing holiday goodies that call for eggs by ensuring they’re fully cooked before you partake. No licking the spoon for the cookie dough, folks! And be careful with the egg nog – alcohol doesn’t kill the bacteria in the eggs!

Remember that foods might require a little extra prep if any of your guests are members of at risk groups including expectant moms (like me!), children and seniors. It will make your guests feel good to know you’ve taken the time to prepare food that they can enjoy safely.

I’d love to hear about any of your favorite holiday traditions or recipes – you can leave them in the comments.
Happy Holidays!!!