Saturday, November 14, 2009

Curry Shrimp with Oyster Mushrooms: 3 Ingredient Recipe #3




3 Ingredient Recipe: Curry Shrimp w/Oyster Mushrooms

There are several Vietnamese/Chinese/Korean markets just a couple of blocks from my house.  They're surrounded by Peking duck specialty restaurants and the best Pho available in Chicago.  Between Little Vietnam and the gastronomiphile (made up word) establishments of my Andersonville neighborhood, I feel blessed to live in what I believe, in my humble opinion, to be the new epicenter of Chicago good eats.

Tonight was a night spend with some of my dearest friends.  I felt guilty dragging them into my little blog challenge, but thankfully I have the best friends I could ever ask for and not only were they game, they let me drag them to one of the local Vietnamese markets and together we hatched a plot for tonight's 3 Ingredient Challenge.

After debating over bitter melons, silkie chickens (with black skins!) and something cryptically labeled "phallicialia" that we could only guess might be bull's penis, we settled on some fresh head-on prawns in a bin and oyster mushrooms.  This is where I admit a fault of mine:  I am weirdly freaked out by crustaceans.  I like to eat them.  I like to cook them.  I DO NOT LIKE TO SEE THEM IN THEIR ORIGINAL SHELLS.  It nauseates me.  Something in the little antennae and beady bug eyes I no likey.

Every time this comes up, I tell myself to suck it up.  If I'm going to be a cook, I gotta learn to love me some crawdads and lobster and ACK... shrimp with crawly legs and big black eyes.  Some whimpering, pleading and a quick heebie jeebie dance later and we had a nice bag of the prawns collected and away we go... me a little blanche-pale but determined not to be a baby.

The third ingredient was tricky because we needed something that would go well with both mushrooms and shrimp, two ingredients rarely seen together, but would also be able to pack a flavorful punch.  Surveying my cupboards, one of my brilliant cooking buddies suggested turmeric, which then led to the natural progression of curry.  Yes, Curry Shrimp and Mushrooms!




With the help of some good wine, we decided that to get the most of our 3 lowly ingredients, we would broil the shrimp and dry toast the mushrooms in a skillet.  The results were a success: hearty mushrooms, succulent shrimp and a curry sauce to bind it all nicely.  Happy tummies, good friends... is there anything better?  I conclude not.



For a refresher on the rules of my 10 day, 3 ingredient challenge, check out the first post.


3 Things to get...

  1. 1 pound of raw shrimp
  2. 2 cups of oyster mushrooms - trimmed
  3. Curry powder
What to do with it...
  • Toss shrimp with some melted butter and place in a broiler pan that allows juices to be caught, or create an aluminum tray - if you have shell-on shrimp, keep them this way during broiling and remove skins/clean after allowing to cool
  • Broil on high until just pink, turning once (time depends greatly on your broiler)
  • When shrimp are done, remove to a separate plate, reserving the butter/liquid
  • Heat a skillet on high and add oyster mushrooms.  Toast on high until golden on both sides, remove and set aside
  • In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add your shrimp cooking liquid and curry powder to your taste
  • Add back mushrooms and shrimp and toss
  • Add pepper and salt to taste


3 down, 7 to go!

15 comments:

  1. When I went to Singapore for a friend's wedding in 1997, we went to a hawker stand and they were serving whole, cooked shrimp. My friend (even though neither of us had bought them) was so grossed out by the sight, she became a vegetarian and even went vegan for a while.

    Sometimes seeing a face on one's food traumatizes people.

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  2. extra points for successfully using the phrase "I no likey". mmm, this looks delicious. I'm seriously digging this challenge.

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  3. This is going greatgirlie..I like all three..the curry shrimp...who would dare not love it...keep em coming :)

    JW

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  4. Excellent ingredient combination, my tummy fully approves. Those mushrooms look so meaty, almost like chunks of chicken.

    Speaking of chicken, I'm intrigued by the silkie ones.. I keep meaning to suss out if I can get them round these parts.

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  5. This looks delicious! Great challenge :)

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  6. Curry powder was a great idea! This looks awesome.

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  7. @Tamar1973 - Yes, a face on my food does trouble me, but it does seem crustaceans have a special hold on me that borders on phobia. :P

    @Brie - I try! *proud smile* ;)

    @JW - Thanks, Miss Jhonny, I hoped you'd approve :)

    @Conor - Yeah, the silkie chickens were in the freezer section, I don't know that I've ever seen them fresh, sadly.

    Thank you all for your continued support!

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  8. yum...are you a professional photographer your photo's are fabulous!

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  9. @pegasuslegend - I occasionally freelance as a photographer, though I've lapsed a bit lately being busy... and I need a serious equipment upgrade!

    This blog has been a good chance to get me movin' again in photography! Thanks for the compliment! :) :)

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  10. That shrimp looks delicious! I've been seeing some of your great photos on Photograzing. Nice work.

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  11. Great pictures they are making my mouth water:) I also have to tell you that it's very interesting to see how you are working out your challenge, great job and recipes.

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  12. I love curry. This dish looks SO delicious.

    Nisrine

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  13. So much fun, this challenge of yours! I love the choice of curry. I found myself brainstorming while I was reading, and I think things like soy sauce, miso, onions, or something "umami-ish" would be tasty too!

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  14. looks simple and delicious. Well done!

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Thanks for commenting - I'm always happy to hear from you!

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