Sweet Ginger Shrimp

Like every food item I post on here, I must include the story behind the dinner. I was attempting to make an Asian noodle stir fry type thing, and I cooked the shrimp separately so I could have two different flavors and then stack them. Well, I made an important discovery: I do not have the ability to make Asian noodles successfully. Whenever I try, they end up in a clumpy, starchy noodle cake. Also, unfortunately, I didn't have a good selection of vegetables to put in it, so the overall result of the noodle-fry half of the meal was, while tasty enough not to be an utter failure, certainly nothing to write home about (or to write you all about, for that matter). The shrimp, on the other hand, were fan-freakin-tastic, so I will now share that very simple and utterly delicious recipe with you.

Sweet Ginger Shrimp

1/2 lb large (16-20 count) raw shrimp
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp ginger
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
salt & pepper

Peel and de-vein shrimp, if necessary, then put into a medium sized bowl. Add ginger, brown sugar, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat with the butter and garlic. When the butter starts to bubble, add the shrimp. Cook until pink and opaque, then serve over rice (or a tasty Asian stir fry! :P). Enjoy -- and trust me, you will!

Curry, my way

In my food I believe in two very important principles -- one is, obviously, deliciousness, and the other is simplicity. This has both. And it's ethnic, which makes you look impressive to your friends ;)

Sweet Tofu Curry

1 pkg extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp peanut oil (or vegetable oil for those with allergies)
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 heaping tbsp curry paste
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup frozen spinach

First, and most importantly, the morning before you make this recipe, drain the tofu! The longer tofu drains, the more it will absorb flavor. I recommend slicing it into 4 or 5 pieces, then laying those pieces out on a pile of paper towels and leaving that in the fridge. If you don't have time for that, then before you start preparing anything else, lay out the tofu slices with paper towels on both sides, and put a weight over the whole thing (like a dinner plate or something) and leave it until it's ready to be sliced.

When you're ready to start cooking, finely chop the garlic, thin-slice the shallot, and cube up the tofu. Add your oil to a large pan on medium heat, and add the garlic and shallot. When the shallot gets translucent, add your curry paste, mixing it into the oil until it is consistent, then add your tofu. Cook tofu about 3 minutes with the curry paste mixture.

Add coconut milk, vegetable broth, and white wine, mixing until consistent. Stir in frozen spinach, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is reduced by about half, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add salt and pepper as you find necessary, but I don't think it really needs it.

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.