Chinese Chicken Recipes for Busy People

It was nice to have a guest speaker in class today. I just wished she could have speeded up the pace.  I was sitting in class and thinking I would not be able to get out in daylight. It was so slow and boring.  I couldn’t help thinking of something else.  I started to write down a shopping list, things that I needed to get from a Chinese grocery store nearby.  I didn’t really make anything special to celebrate the Chinese New Year other than the Chinese Drunken Chicken dish.  I felt like I needed to make up somehow.  I made Steamed Garlic Shrimp tonight.  This is my sister’s signature dish.  She always make this whenever we have guests over for dinner.  One time I helped her prepared this dish while she made something else.  Instead of chopped garlic, I put a bunch of chopped ginger.   Of course, you can imagine how surprised and not happy she was when the dish was cooked.  I screwed up big time!  She didn’t trust me in preparing any dish for her after that

Butterfly the Shrimp

Lay shrimp on a foil

Put garlic and scallion mixture on top

Steamed Garlic Shrimp is so yummy

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• Big shrimp with shell (pawn would be even better) 3/4 pound
• Garlic, 2 cloves
• Scallion, 1 stem
• Salt, a pinch

Steps:

1. Finely chop the garlic and scallion.  Put the mixture in a small bowl.  Add a pinch of salt. Mix it well.  Put it aside.
2. Keep the shell on.  Devein the shrimp by cutting a small slit at the back of the shrimp, and pull out the vein with the tip of a small pairing knife or a tooth pick.
3. Use a pair of scissors.  Trim off the legs of the shrimp.  To butterfly the shrimp, cut a slit in the center of the shrimp.  See picture. 
4. If you have a steamer and a plate that can fit into the steamer, you are fine. You can put the uncooked shrimp on that plate.  Otherwise, you can try what I did.  Use a piece of aluminum foil, put the shrimps in one layer on the foil. 
5. Use a small spoon, put a little bit of the garlic and scallion mixture on the shrimp. 
6. Foil the edges up to make a rectangular container.  Add a second layer of the foil make the container more sturdy.
7. Add enough water in the steamer.  Let the water boil first.
8. When water boils, add the shrimp to the steamer.  Cover it with a lid and steam for 10 mins.  Check after 10 mins if it is cooked.  If not, cook it for another 2 mins.  Turn off the heat. Remove the shrimp from the steamer immediately cos you don’t want to overcook it and have rubber shrimp instead.

Serve hot.  Enjoy.