Shrimp Jicama Tacos with Mango Pico De Gallo

A couple of years ago we ate at Peska during Houston Restaurant Weeks. One of the appetizers featured was shrimp jicama tacos. I really enjoyed this dish so we decided to recreate it at home. It's super easy to make and cost efficient. If you would like to make some of these yummy tacos please continue reading.

Ingredients:
15 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 medium jicama, sliced into sheets like tortillas
***alternatively, you could buy the sliced jicama prepackaged (I saw some at HEB)
1 medium mango, diced (I prefer yellow Alphonso mango)
1 small Roma tomato, diced
1/4 yellow onion, diced
Cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime
Cumin
Salt
Black pepper
Cajun season or old bay
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of paprika
Salsa (optional)

Step 1:
Peel and devein the shrimp. I bought large ez peel shrimp for convenience. Marinate with 1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning like Tony Chachere's or old bay, black pepper, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of paprika. Set aside.

Step 2:
If you bought prepackaged sliced jicama, then skip to step 3. Peel jicama carefully. If you have a mandoline slicer this will be a breeze. If not, you will need to slice the jicama in thin, even sheets. Set aside.

Step 3:
Prepare the ingredients for the mango pico. Peel and dice the mango. Cut the tomato and throw away the seed/core and dice. Dice the onions and chop the cilantro. Put them in a bowl a d squeeze half a lime (if you like it more tangy, use a whole lime). Add 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and taste. Set aside.

Step 4:
You may either grill the shrimp or pan sear them. I seared them in a hot pan for about 2 minutes each side. Once you're done cooking the shrimp, you're ready to assemble. I used large shrimp and a medium sized jicama so 1 shrimp per jicama taco. If you use smaller shrimp, you will need to double (2 per taco). You can see in the picture below, one of my jicama tacos actually has 2 smaller shrimp.

Top your tacos with the mango pico, salsa or hot sauce of your choice and they're ready to devour. Good luck and enjoy!

Seafood Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

Another one of my favorite food is gumbo. I prefer seafood gumbo because I love shrimp and crab. My fiance and I were craving some gumbo, so I made us a big ole pot of seafood gumbo. We shared some with his sisters too. This freezes great and easy to reheat. If you love gumbo as much as I do, keep reading because I found a great recipe. I made some changes to suit my taste. If you don't like seafood, you can make this gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bacon drippings (you can use butter, but bacon drippings is better)
1 cup chopped celery (I chopped about 4 stalks of celery)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced (I used 12 oz since that's what the package came in)
3 1/2 quarts water, add more if needed
4 cubes beef bouillon
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt to taste
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco), or to taste
2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend (I used Old Bay), or to taste
4 bay leaves
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons gumbo file powder plus 2 teaspoons gumbo file powder reserved for the end
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cut okra, thawed and washed thoroughly to remove as much of the slimy texture as possible
1 pound lump crab meat (I used the one from Costco... trust me, the quality is so good)
1 1/2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
White rice, prepared in advance

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours

 

 

 

Step 1:
Cook  6 strips of bacon in a big pot. I cut mine in half so it would fit better in my dutch oven. Once bacon is cooked, remove from pot. Add flour and whisk 15-20 minutes to develop your roux. Make sure you constantly whisk your roux so it doesn't burn. When your roux is a mahogany color (see pic below), it's ready.

 

 

Step 2:
Add your holy trinity (onion, celery and bell pepper) and garlic to the roux. Stir it around for a few minutes then add your andouille sausage. Stir it for another 5 minutes. Remove the roux mixture from the pot and set aside.

 

Step 3:
In the pot, add 3 quarts of water and 4 cubes of beef buillon. Bring to a boil and add roux mixture. Add stewed tomato, tomato sauce, cajun seasoning, bay leaves, sugar and hot sauce. Simmer on low heat for 50 minutes.

 

 

Step 4:
After 50 minutes have passed, add gumbo file powder and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. After the additional 30 minutes, add okra, shrimp and crab meat. Stir gently to mix. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, stir in additional gumbo file powder. Taste and make any adjustments. Discard bay leaves and serve with white rice.

 

 

I store my gumbo in to go soup containers (see pic below). This recipe makes about 5 quarts. Easy to store and easy to give to family and friends. Good luck and enjoy!

Lau Thai (Thai Style Hot Pot)

Yesterday was my bf's dad's birthday. We thought it would be nice to cook for his parents, so we decided to make hot pot. It was a huge hit... everyone enjoyed our hot pot. We had a great time chatting while eating our hot pot. Preparations were minimal and clean up wasn't too hard. A perfect night and dinner for less than $40. This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people. Good luck!

Broth:

• 3 cans chicken broth, 14oz
• 3 cans water, same can
• 5-6 Tbsp Tom Yum Soup Paste (see pic)
• 1-2 Tbsp Tamarind powder base (you can find this in the spice aisle of the Asian supermarket) *amount varies to your taste… use more if you prefer sour, use less if you prefer less sour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 small onion or ½ large onion, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
• Sate/chili oil (optional)
• 2-3 tsp Fish sauce (optional)

*depending on your taste, if you like your broth more salty you may want to add a bit of fish sauce

Other Ingredients:

• Slices of meat (Eye round or rib eye)
• 1 small Napa cabbage
• 1 bunch Spinach
• 2 pk Enoki Mushroom, they’re white, long, and thin
• 1 pk Fried fish balls, cuttle fish balls, shrimp balls, use whatever you like
• Quail eggs (1 can should be enough)
• 1 pk Clams or mussels
• ½ - 1 lb Shrimp
• 2-3 filets of Fish, sliced (I use Swai, but you can omit fish if you don’t like fish)
• Rice noodles (bun), but if you like egg noodles (mi) then use that
• Electric hot pot or a pot and a portable gas range

Step 1 - Preparing the Broth

In a large pot bring your water and chicken broth to a slight boil, and then add Tom Yum paste, tamarind powder (if you cannot find this then you can just use limes), and sugar. Make sure you stir well to dissolve the seasonings. Taste and if you need more sour add a little more tamarind powder or lime. If the broth is not salty enough for you, then you may add a teaspoon or 2 of fish sauce. If you like your broth spicy, then add some sate/chili oil. Then add the sliced onions and tomatoes and turn heat to low. When you season your food, remember you can add more to it, but you can’t take away… so just add a little bit at a time until you like the taste.

Step 2 - Preparing the other Ingredients

While your broth is keeping warm, you should prepare the other ingredients. Wash your veggies and dry them. You do not have to cut the spinach, but you do have to cut the napa cabbage into 1 ½ to 2 inch slices. Take your meat out of the package and place on a different plate (don’t mix your meats and veggies). I used to use eye round (thit tai for pho), but now I use thin slices of rib eye. It’s sooo much better, trust me! Place clams and slices fish on the meat plate. Open the can of quail eggs and rinse them in water, dry them, and place in another plate. Wash and dry your shrimp, fish balls or cuttlefish balls and place them on the same plate as your quail eggs.

*If you are serving more than 4 people, I suggest splitting the meats and veggies into 2 plates, one for each side of the table, it’s more convenient.

Step 3 - Finishing up

Cook rice noodles/bun as per instructions on the bag. Prepare your plates on the table and split the rice noodles into 2 portions, one for each side of the table. Ladle your broth into the pot that you are using for the hot pot. If you do not have an electric hot pot, you can use a shallow pot and a portable gas range (see pic). Wait for the broth to slightly boil before adding your meats and veggies… and enjoy!

Mi Hoanh Thanh (Wonton Noodle Soup)

One of my favorite noodle soups has to be Mi Hoanh Thanh (Wonton Noodle Soup). I tend to order it ever time I stop by Tan Tan. Since Tan Tan is so far from my house and it gets pretty costly to eat out a lot, I thought why not make it at home. Since my followers are mostly students, I thought why not simplify the process of making the broth. It's almost as delectable as broth made using pork bones. The following recipe yields 4 servings.

All of the following can be prepared in advance except the egg noodles (they have to be used right after you boil them). The broth can be made and frozen for later use. The wontons can be frozen and thawed out for later use. The Xa Xiu can be made and refrigerated up to one week.

Quick 'n' Easy Broth:

• 3 cans chicken broth (14 oz.)
• 3 cans water (same can)
• 1 Tbsp pork flavored soup base (see pic)
• 1 tsp sugar
  

Wonton Filling:

*This recipe for wontons makes extra for later use

• 1 lb. shrimp cut into small pieces
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1-2 tsp salt (if you like your food less salty then only use 1)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 stalk green onion/scallions, finely minced
• 2 shallots, finely minced

Other ingredients:

• Xa xiu (BBQ pork)
• Noh Char siu/xa xiu seasoning (see pic)
• Egg noodles
• Wonton wrapper
• Cilantro
• Green onion/scallions
• Lettuce (green or red leaf works)
• Chives
• Bean Sprout (optional)
    

Step 1 – Preparing Xa Xiu/BBQ Pork

Cut your piece of pork into 1 inch by 2 in. strips (I used pork tenderloin). In a medium sized bowl, mix xa xiu seasoning with 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar. Place pork in the marinade and mix well, then cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate overnight or at least 3 hours. When ready to cook, line a baking tray with a sheet of foil to cover the entire surface (easier to clean later). Bake in oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes depending on your oven’s strength. When finished, let cool for 5 minutes then slice into thin slices (see pic).
  

Step 2 – Preparing Wonton

In a medium sized bowl, mix together ground pork, shrimp pieces, salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, and shallots. Spoon 1 teaspoon wonton filling into wonton wrapper, then spread a little bit of water around the edges of the wonton wrapper and pinch together. After you’re done making the wonton, you may freeze the extras, but if you layer the wonton in more than 2 layers, you must separate each layer with a piece of plastic wrap. I give each bowl about 6-7 wontons, but it’s up to you how many you want to use.

Step 3 – Preparing the Broth

Pour 3 cans of chicken broth and 3 cans of water into a medium-large pot. Then add pork soup base and sugar. Taste the broth to see if it is to your liking. Keep on medium high heat until ready to serve.

Step 4 – Preparing Wontons and Egg Noodles

In a medium sized pot, fill up halfway with water and bring to a boil. Then with a big spoon carefully drop wontons in the boiling water. Leave them in the boiling water for about 5 minutes or until they start to float. Spoon them out with a slotted spoon or a small handheld strainer (like the one you would use for pho). If some water has evaporated, you might want to add a bit more in and bring back to a boil. Then spread apart one clump of egg noodle and swirl around the strainer in the boiling water for 1 minute. Place each portion of egg noodle in to each bowl.

Final step – Preparing Herbs and Your Bowl

Wash and dry your lettuce, bean sprout, and chives. Assemble them on a plate and set aside. Chop some cilantro and green onion. Place wonton, pork slices and herbs on top of the egg noodles in each bowl. Bring your broth to a boil and serve. Top your noodle soup with shreds of lettuce, chives and bean sprouts. Good luck and enjoy!