Lemongrass Coconut Shrimp And Noodles Parchment Packs Recipes

STEAMED SHRIMP WITH LEMONGRASS-COCONUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim the ends from the lemongrass, then bruise one of the stalks all over with the back of a knife. Cut it in half and put the halves in the bottom of a saucepan with the nam pla. Squeeze the juice of one of the limes into the pot, then throw the lime halves in there. Top with the shrimp, cover tightly, and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and firm. Remove the shrimp and chill.
• Remove the hard outer layers from the remaining lemongrass stalk and mince the tender core; you won't get much more than a teaspoon or two. Combine this with the chile, coconut milk, sugar, and saffron in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a uniform yellow. Remove the chile and chill. Cut the remaining lime into wedges.
• Taste the sauce and add a little salt if necessary. Serve the cold shrimp topped with the cold sauce and accompanied by lime wedges.
• Coconut Milk
• Although canned coconut milk is perfectly convenient, making coconut milk at home is easy and will contain no preservatives: Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups dried unsweetened shredded or grated coconut in a blender. Use a towel to hold the lid on tightly and turn the switch on and off a few times quickly to get the mixture going. Then blend for about 30 seconds. Let rest for 10 minutes. Pour the milk through a strainer. This will be fairly thick. If you need more milk, just pour additional water through the coconut, up to another cup or two. Press the coconut to extract as much liquid as possible. Use immediately or freeze indefinitely.
• Shrimp
• Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.

LEMONGRASS COCONUT SHRIMP AND NOODLES PARCHMENT PACKS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Cut four 16-inch long sheets of parchment paper. Fold each sheet in half and open like a book, then place 2 each on 2 rimmed baking sheets.Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover completely with warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften, then drain well. Dry the bowl and return the noodles to it. Add the spinach and carrots and set aside.Whisk the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, garlic, lime zest and juice, and brown sugar together in a medium bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup of this marinade to the noodles, season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Add the shrimp to the remaining marinade and toss to coat.Divide the noodles and vegetables among the 4 sheets of parchment, placing on one side of the fold. Drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons water. Top with the shrimp and drizzle with the remaining marinade. Smash the lemongrass with a mallet or other heavy item; place 2 pieces in each parchment pack.Fold over the top half of the parchment, crimping and overlapping small folds along the open edge to seal tightly. Bake until the parchment pack puffs, about 12 minutes; the shrimp should be cooked through.Transfer each pack to a plate. Avoiding the hot steam, carefully cut open each pack and discard the lemongrass stalks. Serve with lime wedges.Source: foodnetwork.comRecipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.