Tuesday Night Supper Club--Kung Pao Shrimp

About 20 years ago, I took a cooking course from Hugh Carpenter.  

He is a genius in the kitchen

At the time he had a couple of restaurants and was famous for his chinese chicken salad

which is still my favorite

I tell you this because this recipe might be his

 i am not sure.  

I have used and changed Hugh's recipes for so many years that I have blurred the lines

sorry Hugh

at any rate

it is good

and you can make it as spicy or mild as you please

because my hubster isn't fond of rice

i sometimes serve it with mashed potatoes

to sop up the lovely sauce

Kung Pao Shrimp

(you can substitute chicken)

Kung Pao Shrimp
(printable recipe)
1 lb medium raw shrimp
1 greenb bell pepper
2 green onions
1 cup shelled and skinned raw peanuts
2 Tbs peanut oil
1 Tbs fresh ginger--peeled and finely minced
1 Tbs garlic--finely minced
1/2 cup small dried red chiles
Sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 Tbs dark soy sauce
1 Tbs hoisen sauce
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp chinese chili sauce
1/4 tsp crushed sichuan peppercorns
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs cornstarch
Shell and devien shrimp or cut chicken into pieces.  Seed and cut pepper into julienne. Cut green onions into ¼ “ pieces.  Place peanuts in a small pan and toast until light gold.  Combine sherry, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, chili sauce, peppercorns and salt.  Set aside.

Combine cornstarch with equal amounts of cold water.  Set aside.  Place wok on high.  When it becomes very hot add 1 Tbs peanut oil.  Add protein and stir fry until it is almost cooked through.  Remove from pan and add 1 Tbs oil.  Add ginger and garlic and sauté a few seconds. Add vegetables and stir fry until they begin to brighten.  Return protein to wok and add peanuts and chiles, then pour in sauce.  When sauce comes to a low boil, stir in a little of the cornstarch mixture until the sauce thickens.  Adjust seasonings.


EAT UP!

Chi Fan

Chi fan...I think that has something to do with eating. I need to ask my 3 year old niece. Last time I tried to speak Chinese to her, she corrected me. Apparently thinking I said, "thank you", I really said, I need to go to the bathroom. I was close. You know it's tough when a 3 year old has a better command of a language, any language than you.

You see....I used to pride myself for my ear of languages. That was when knowing how to pronounce tortilla in the heart of Spokane, Washington made me bi-lingual. Growing up in California, you learn Spanish...you actually get to speak some, and if you have a car, a sarape and enough pocket change, you can try your hand at bartering in the language. So, my knowledge of Spanish is passable. But my accent...well that's about as authentic as you can get. Like anything, it's all in the presentation.

My Italian...legitimately good. And I am extraordinary at fishing for compliments with it. I start out with a little, ho dimenticato tutti (I forgot everything)...which cues the lovely Italians to say...oh no, no, I wish my English was as good as your Italian....which cues me to say...oh would you like to speak English then? So you can practice? Which naturally moves me into the expert category and no one is the wiser.

Where I become the laughing stock is my French. Remember the part where I said I have an ear for languages? Well, word to the wise...don't say stuff like that. Because, friends are always at the ready to disprove the theory, and then remind you of it whenever ANY foreign word comes out of your mouth.
I was in Paris with my "friends" and we went to a perfectly wonderful cafe. Actually a place I love and have been to many times. I'd like to think we discovered it many moons ago, and now it is someplace the cogniscenti frequent. It's called Cafe Marly and it sits at the entrance to the Louvre. So...we were there, my "friends" and I. Everyone ordered a croque monsier...which they prounounced Croak Mons Sure (insert your best bad American-French accent here). So I, with my incredible ear for languages, placed my order for crudite...(insert your best gutteral phlegm inducing expulsion here). It sounded great, and I looked great with the wave of my hand and the tipping of my beret topped head. Very French, very French indeed.

All was going well, until the watier delivered my perfectly toasted sandwich...same thing everybody else got. I tried to tell him that it wasn't what I ordered, but he just waved me off, and tipped his beret topped head. Apparently my French ain't so good. Which brings me back to Chinese.

My husband and I are learning it because Michael Phelps said it would be a good idea. Okay, that's not true, but I understand he does think it's a good idea. We are learning it because we are going to China next spring and thought it would be nice if we could speak, understand or smile a little bit of it. We are using the Rosetta Stone, because Michael Phelps said it would be a good idea. Okay, I'll stop with that joke, I imagine I am the only one who thinks it's funny...or even know what it means.

Let me tell ya...Mandarin is hard...really hard. I'm not so confident in my presentation...and for some reason, I think random hand gestures might actually be offensive in China. What plays in Paris doesn't necessarily play in Peking.