Shrimp Etouffee

The food scene in Hawaii has improved over the last few years. We have a lot of new restaurants coming up that are really exciting. Having said that though, Hawaii seems to have a problem holding on to a more unique genre of foods. A lot of my favorite restaurants close down within a year, replaced by Steak Outs (or versions of them), or maybe some Pho restaurant.

One of those restaurant is Taste of Bayou (will you ever come back?!!). I can't remember how long it has been since we went there, but I will never forget that meal. It was my first taste of Crawfish Etouffee and it was AMAAAAAAZING!! The etouffee had so many levels of flavor and everything just married together perfectly. It was spicy, but not just hot. It was just incredible. I was so bummed when they closed down, because I only got to eat there twice.

So when my sister sent me a recipe for Crawfish Etouffee from Emeril, I was so excited. I scoured all the grocery stores for crawfish, but it can't be found in Hawaii. I even went to Tamashiro Market and they didn't have them either, not even the frozen variety!! So I found a recipe for Emeril's Shrimp Etouffee. This will have to do until then. I have to say, I was not disappointed!! It was so good!!! I've made this twice now, the first time I used a mixture of clam juice and chicken broth. The second time, I actually took the time to make the shrimp stock. The conclusion is make the shrimp stock. Don't use frozen shrimp shells though, you're not going to get any flavors from that. Use fresh shrimp!!! If you live in Hawaii, Costco has amazing fresh Kauai shrimp. It's so fresh, super sweet and makes a world of difference. Enjoy!! Please leave a comment if you know of an underground crawfish distributor, I know someone must have it, they serve them at those Cajun seafood places.

Shrimp Etouffee
from Emeril

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped green bell peppers
2 cups chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
1 quart (4 cups)shrimp stock, recipe follows
3 pounds medium shrimp (21 to 25 count per pound), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
Steamed white rice, for serving
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion tops, for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously to make a roux. Stir the roux over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to the roux, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot and season with the bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of the Essence. Cook the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk in the shrimp stock.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook the etouffee, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Season the shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of Essence and add them to the pot, stirring to evenly distribute. Cook the shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Add the chopped parsley to the pot and stir to combine.

3. Serve immediately over steamed white rice and garnish with sliced green onion tops.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning
from Emeril

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Shrimp Stock
from Emeril

1 pound (about 1 quart) shrimp shells and heads
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
3 smashed garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt

1. Place the shrimp shells and heads in a large colander and rinse under cold running water for several minutes.

2. Combine the shrimp shells and remaining ingredients in a heavy 6-quart stockpot, add 4 quarts water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim to remove any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming occasionally.

3. Remove the stock from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container; let cool completely. Refrigerate the stock for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months.

Kimchee fried rice

Happy New Year everyone!! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since October 2011!!! I'm so sorry for the delay and I just want to thank you for your continual support of My Food Affair. So much has happened in the tail end of 2011. Mr. G and I bought a new home and we're engaged!!! My head is spinning and I'm dizzy with everything I have to do for 2012!! Yikes. Any chance you can suggest a wedding venue for us in Oahu? =P

Anyway, enough about me. Let's move on to the important stuff...FOOD!! Today I give you Kimchee fried rice. This recipe comes from A Dash of Sugar and Spice. I made some changes to the recipe to suit our tastes, but overall this is a simple recipe that's great for weeknights.

The key to good kimchee fried rice is good kimchee!! My friend's wife makes amazing kimchee and we're lucky to get a jar of it once in awhile. I used this pot of Korean gold for this dish and I think it really made a difference. The original recipe calls for soy sauce for additional flavor, but our kimchee was so flavorful, we didn't need any additional seasoning. Try it and let me know what you think!

Kimchee Fried Rice 

adapted from A Dash of Sugar and Spice 

1 1/2 cups kimchee, chopped 

1 cup of Portuguese sausage, diced (see note) 

2 cups cooked rice, heated 

2 tablespoons kimchee juice, as needed (see note)

1 teaspoon sesame oil 

1 teaspoon sesame seeds 

Black pepper 

2 eggs

Scallions for garnish, chopped, optional

1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, brown the Portuguese sausage until edges are brown and crispy. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate; set aside.

2. Remove some of the sausage fat from the pan, leaving about one or two tablespoons. Add the chopped kimchee to the pan and sauté them well until nice and tender, about 1-2 minutes. Add rice and mix well with the kimchee. Add the kimchi juice to moisten the fried rice (see note). Continue to stir until heated through.

3. Turn off the heat. Add sesame oil, sesame seeds, and the sausage; mix well. Season with black pepper and toss in scallions.

4. In a small skillet, fry eggs sunny side up or over easy (whichever you prefer). Place on top of the fried rice. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• *Original recipe calls for 4-6 strips of bacon, I used Portuguese sausage instead because that's what I had on hand.  
• *Original recipe calls for 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce. I didn't need the soy sauce because of the good kimchee.  Add soy sauce to suit your taste.
• *Take care when adding the kimchee juice.  If your kimchee is really wet, you might not need to add the juice.  Nothing's worse than soggy fried rice! 

Indian Fried Rice

Mr. G and I have been taking an Indian cooking class for the last two months or so and the class has finally ended. It was such a wonderful class. We had a group of wonderful students all with a passion for good food and our teacher was great!! I highly recommend it. If you live in Hawaii, the class we took is from the Kaimuki Community School of Adults.

There are so many recipes that I love from the class, but I decided to share this with you. It's called Indian fried rice, a simple rice dish packed with soo much flavor. It's so easy to make and the result is fabulous!! Here's the recipe.

Indian Fried Rice
from Vasantha at Kaimuki Community School for Adults

2 cups basmati rice
2 tbsp oil or ghee
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
4 cloves
2" cinnamon stick
5-6 cardamoms
15 curry leaves, sliced thinly
2 bay leaves
4 tbsp chopped mint leaves, chopped finely
3 green chilies, slit lengthwise
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup sliced onions
1 tbsp coriander powder
4 tbsp cilantro, chopped finely
1/4 tsp garam masala

1. Wash rice and add enough water to cook rice. Keep aside in a rice cooker, soaking for 30 minutes.

2. Heat oil and ghee over medium high heat in a sauce pan. Add cumin and caraway seeds and let them splutter.

3. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, curry leaves and bay leaves to the oil and fry until fragrant, a few seconds.

4. Add mint leaves, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, and onions and fry for a minute. Now add coriander powder and chopped cilantro leaves.

5. Add the seasoning to the rice and mix well. Add salt to taste. Cook in your rice cooker and you're all set.