Firecracker Shrimp
Serves 4
If you have a night that you need dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes, this is the recipe for you. Healthy, light and delicious, this dish will be a hit with your family.
My first encounter with this wonderful Asian inspired dish was in Singapore in 2007. I was invited to teach at the At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy, which is the premier school for culinary arts, pastry, baking, food and beverage service courses in Singapore. I have to admit these budding chefs were some of the best students I have ever taught. The commitment and work ethic from every student was unbelievable, and the facility was amazing. Every night the students would either take me to a hawker stall or suggest an amazing eating experience for me to try.
A visit to Maxwell Hawker Center for firecracker shrimp had me coming back for more. It was the first time I’d ever tried this amazing dish, and the first time I tried chicken rice at the now famous Tian Tian Hainanese stall. Tian Tian is the first ever street stall anywhere in the world to be awarded a Michelin Star by The Michelin Guide. The stall is now the most popular food stall in the Maxwell Hawker Centre, if not the most popular in all of Singapore.
If you ever get to visit and you’re in the mood for steamed chicken on rice but don’t have the time or inclination to wait in line, check out Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice just a few stalls down. The owner is a former staff member of his more famous neighbor. Another enduring favorite at Maxwell Hawker Centre is Rojak, Popiah & Cockle, which serves the Malay style mix of crispy bread, fruit, vegetable and egg mix all smothered in a bold, biting sauce. The locals love it, but it’s one for the more adventurous tourist. Maxwell Road Food Centre is surrounded by many of Chinatown’s best attractions and walking distance from Telok Ayer and Chinatown MRT subway stations. It stays open until 10 pm so you can enjoy a late meal there too.
Ingredients:
For the shrimp
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 green onions, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
2 limes, juice only
2 tablespoons tamari
2 dried red chilies, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
¼ teaspoon ground star anise
4 cups large shrimp, peeled and deveined
For the stir-fried greens
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 baby bok choy, cut in half
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tamari
How to make:
Take a wok or large frying pan and place over a medium to high heat. Add the fennel and cumin seeds and cook for one to two minutes or until fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and tip the spices into a small blender. Blend until you have a fine powder.
Combine the green onions, oyster sauce, cilantro, lime juice, tamari, chilies, rice wine, ginger and star anise and blend until you have a smooth marinade.
Place the shrimp into a medium size bowl and pour over the marinade from the blender. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the shrimp into the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
Wipe out the wok and place it back on the stove. When the wok is hot, take a pair of tongs and pick up the shrimp one by one and place into the wok.
Cook the shrimp for two minutes. Turn over and continue to cook for one more minute or until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the wok and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Add the marinate to the wok, turn up the heat and boil until the marinate thickens to the consistency of a sauce. Remove the wok from the stove and pour the sauce into a bowl. Keep warm.
To make the stir-fried greens, wipe out the wok again. When hot, add the sesame oil, bok choy, ginger and tamari. Cook for four to five minutes or until just wilted.
Serve the shrimp, sauce and greens immediately.