Tamarind Shrimp with Avocado Cucumber Salad

By Liz:

OK, this is a bit of a cheat because it's not new. But I just rediscovered it this week and remembered how much I liked it, so file under re-discovered weeknight staples.

I'm having one of those weeks (months?) where life doesn't leave much time for cooking, and we've defaulted to takeout more nights than I'd like to admit. So in an effort to reclaim my kitchen, I skimmed the blog for my favorite recipes in the last year.

All this takes is a little chopping and a quick stir fry - 20 minutes tops - for tart citrus shrimp, cool cucumber salad, and the crunch of crispy shallots and peanuts. Delicious.

Tropical Tamarind Shrimp with Avocado Cucumber Salad

3 T. peanut oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced and separated into rings 
3 cloves of garlic, minced 
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
2-3 Thai chilies, with seeds, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned

Sauce

2 heaping teaspoons tamarind concentrate
3 T. sugar
2 T. soy
2 T. Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
2 T. lime juice

Salad

2 avocados, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large cucumber, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 half sweet onion, minced
3 T. lime juice
zest of one lime
1 t. sugar
1 t. Asian fish sauce (nam pla)
3 T. fresh coriander, chopped
1/3 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
steamed jasmine rice

Fry shallot and make tamarind sauce:

Heat oil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry shallot, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain (shallots will crisp as they cool). Reserve oil.

Combine all sauce ingredients – tamarind, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice – and stir until well mixed. (If you can’t find tamarind concentrate, you can soak 4 T. tamarind pulp in 1/2 cup boiling water until dissolved, and then strain out the solids).

Make salad and cook shrimp:

Combine all salad ingredients, minus the peanuts, in a bowl. Cover and set aside.

Transfer reserved oil to a heavy skillet and sauté ginger, garlic, chilies, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds (careful not to burn). Add shrimp and sauté until barely pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in tamarind mixture and simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

Spoon shrimp and salad over rice, then sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallot.

Comments

[sauced]

Mmmm....:) This makes me want to go buy some tamarind concentrate and experiment. :) Avocado and shrimp are some of my favorite things together :)

Moo