Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Piping hot and generously sprinkled with minced garlic and salt and pepper mixture, these shrimp are tasty treats enjoyed by all. White pepper creates its distinctive flavor. Don’t forget to provide lots of paper napkins. Although not considered a traditional dim sum, this fried shrimp dish is a popular request at dim sum restaurants. Yum Yum Cha; Let’s East Dim Sum in Hawaii is scheduled to be available early December, 2021.
1 pound large (16-20 count or larger) shrimp, shells on, deveined
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Peanut, vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder
Optional: 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced into rounds
Rinse and drain deveined shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Place cornstarch in a zip-top plastic bag; add 8-10 shrimp, close top and shake gently to coat shrimp completely. Repeat to coat all. In small batches, deep-fry shrimp in oil heated to 350° for 2-3 minutes, until golden and crispy. Drain on absorbent paper and toss them with garlic and salt and pepper mixture. Place jalapeño slices into cornstarch mixture. Fry until crispy. Top shrimp. Serve hot. Makes about 16-20 pieces.
(Scheduled be available early December, 2021)
Going for dim sum, known as yum cha in Cantonese, is a favorite culinary outing in Hawaii when all tastes can be satisfied among dozens of small plates that are shared and enjoyed with family and friends. It’s the perfect way to sample beautifully presented bites of food that are steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried, tolled, and wrapped.
Yum Cha (“drink tea” in Cantonese Chinese) refers to the experience of eating and enjoying dim sum. This cookbook has over 100 recipes that duplicate what you can order in restaurants. Included are such favorites as pork hash bites (siu mai), shrimp in translucent wheat starch wrap (har gao), steamed then pan-fried turnip cake (lo bak go) and tender steamed pork spareribs, in fermented black bean sauce (dow see pai gwat).
There are also recipes for both steamed and baked pork buns (char siu bao) including their many other fillings. Enjoy flour rolls filled dried shrimp (cheong fun) and the popular half moon (gok jai or fun gow), nicknamed ear “pepeiao” in Hawaii.
Other popular dishes include bean curd wrap (sin chet guan), pork and water chestnut in flaky dough (ma tai soo), chicken feet, custard tarts (dan tat) and sweet or savory deep fried balls of sweet rice flour (jin dui and ham sui gok). Short cuts are included, such as using store-bought refrigerated dough such as for sweet sausage buns (lap cheong bao).
Color, 224 pages, hardcover, wire-o, 6X9 inches, published 2021. $20.95, shipping is free.
