Shrimp Toast

You could fry them to a crisp, steam, grill, bake, or blanch them.  I like 'em in my salad, in my soup, in my veges, in my sushi , in my dim sums and in even in my dreams. It doesn't take a genius  to figure out my undeniable love affair with  Shrimps and its big brother Prawn. So to show my homage and adoration to its goodness, I will be sharing a few shrimp based recipes that I've tasted and tested.

When cooking, there's only one rule in my kitchen and that is: ''No rules!''. I don't precisely measure ingredients in weights or mass but sort of throw things together instinctively. A dash of salt or adding more herbs and spices along the way until  I'm happy with the result .I throw a glance at  recipe books while cooking but  ALWAYS end up making my own version. The modification is based on our own preferences of course and what's available in our pantry ( which is rather small by the way). And here I am calling myself a foodie. Anyway, here is a very easy to make shrimp recipe that could be served as finger food or appetizer ( I won't say to no this at breakfast too....I know, I'm hopeless.)

The Shrimp Chronicle part 1:
Crispy Shrimp Toast

 Using a food processor, process about 500 g of raw, shelled , deveined shrimp/prawn until it resembles a  paste ( I like mine chunkier than smooth so few seconds will do and if you don't have a food processor but possesses Martin Yan's knife skills, then you could simply chop them finely), if you like to add more bite to it then add in half a cup of finely chopped water chestnut , throw something green in  for some color I used chopped scallions but you could use coriander leaves or parsley , add in a  thumb sized grated root ginger, about 2 cloves of garlic crushed, drizzle it with a bit of sesame oil, salt,  pepper, some sugar, throw in 1 egg and about a tablespoon cornstarch to bind the ingredients together. For those who like to have it spicy, chili flakes or even hot pepper sauce could be added to it. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare white bread slices with crust removed. Spread Shrimp/Prawn paste evenly then sprinkle over some  sesame seeds, pressing gently to make them stick. Cut the bread diagonally into four triangles.

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pan or wok  until hot but not smoking. Fry triangles in batches. Takes about 30 to 60 seconds turning once until golden brown. Drain and serve to the neighbors if you're on diet......Sweet chili sauce goes wonderfully with it. Enjoy!