Tom Rang Muoi (Salt and Pepper Shrimp)

I noticed that sometimes we cook what we crave, but we also tend to cook economically smart. I was grocery shopping today and saw that shrimp was on sale for $3.49 a pound. So guess what I made for dinner tonight ;) For under $5 you too can serve this yummy dish.



Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp head and shell on (medium to large in size, mine were medium)
• ½ an onion sliced into strips
• 2 stalks scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup corn starch
• 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp pepper (mixed in small bowl)
• 3-4 dried chilies or ½ tsp crushed red pepper (that’s what I had on hand)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (or any that you have on hand)
• Oil for frying

Step 1
Clean shrimp and let excess water dry off. This is optional, but I like to cut the sharp part of the tail off because some people like to eat the whole entire shrimp. I also use a toothpick to devein the shrimp (stick toothpick in the middle part of the shells and pull the veins out). Prepare ½ cup of corn starch in a large bowl. Coat shrimp with corn starch, shake off excess, and lay on a separate plate.

Step 2
Heat your oil in a pot. When oil is hot, fry your shrimp. Place fried shrimp on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Set aside, but remember to work quickly because we don’t want the shrimp to get soggy.

Step 3
In a wok or big pan heat 1 Tbsp oil and add minced garlic. Add onion and sauté for about 1 minute on medium heat. Then add the fried shrimp and sprinkle with salt, sugar and pepper mix and ½ tsp crushed red pepper. Flavor to your taste (I used about half of the seasoning mixture). Add more or less depending on how salty you would like your shrimp. Toss for about 30 seconds, then add scallions and toss for another 30 seconds.

Serve right away to avoid soggy shrimps. You may want to serve this with steamed white rice or it can be eaten a la carte, but I usually serve it with other entrees for our family dinner (see pic above). If you like squid, you may want to make Muc Rang Muoi (Salt and Pepper Squid). Good luck and enjoy!