Spicy Caramelized Shrimp with Lemongrass, Ginger, and Chiles

Spicy Caramelized Shrimp with Lemongrass and Ginger

I made this fantastic recipe with Chef Brad for our latest Sous Chef Series Class at Williams-Sonoma. The original version comes from a recipe at the Slanted Door restaurant along San Francisco Bay in California, which serves gourmet Vietnamese fusion dishes. However, Brad and I put our own twist on it, as we do with most recipes.

We went to a few good Asian markets around town to get the ingredients, which was an adventure in itself! In one of the markets, the owner even had to go into her secret freezer in the back of the store to retrieve the Thai chiles that we needed. Those suckers are hot! For shrimp lovers, this dish is fragrant and flavorful. The lemongrass, ginger, and garlic soften in the pan and diffuse through the shrimp and caramelized sauce making your kitchen smell unbelievable.

For the ingredients in which you may have to go to an Asian market to buy, I've made a small list for you to make it easy.

1. Thai chiles- these are small and come in yellow, orange, green, or red. The recipe calls for only 2-3 of them, but they definitely give the dish a kick.

2. Lemongrass- long, firm, grassy-like stalk (green at top, white on bottom)

3. Palm Sugar- this comes in a small plastic jar or it can come solid (breaks apart).
4. Fish sauce- probably one of the worst concoctions you will ever smell. Trust me I know it is intimidating,but this ingredient is very common in Asian cooking and chances are, you have had it before! When all is said and done, it really helps the dish come together.


5. Ginger- I am pretty sure you can find ginger at any local grocery. However, just in case, Asian markets always have an abundance of it.

The Recipe:

Makes about 4 servings

20 Medium-Large Shrimp, peeled and devained
1 pound Palm Sugar
3/4 cup Fish Sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Shallots
2-3 Thai Chiles
1/4 cup Lemongrass
2-3 Garlic cloves
1 Hunk of Ginger (maybe 2-3 Tablespoons worth. You will cut julienne the ginger)
1/4 cup chicken stock

Steamed White Rice to serve on the side

The Procedure:

Before completing anything, cook your rice AND have it warmed and ready at the end for serving.

1. Whack lemongrass with something heavy like a rolling pin or large book to make it easy to chop. Then slice lemongrass into rings (as you would a green onion) starting from the white bottom portion. Discard the first few chops until you reach the fleshy part. The fleshy part is what you want. Set aside when you collect approx. 1/4 cup.

2. Chop ginger into matchsticks, mince garlic, and slice shallots thin. Set aside.

3. Spoon palm sugar into medium sauce pan and let melt until bubbling.

4. Add fish sauce and stir thoroughly until it comes to a boil.

5. Take off heat and set aside.

6. In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat.

7. Add shallots and chiles and let saute for 1 minute

8. Add lemongrass, ginger, and garlic and cook for another minute or two

9. Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and as much caramelized sauce as you like (I used about 1/3 cup)

10. Add shrimp, toss to coat, and let cook through for about 5 minutes or until plump and pink.

11. Serve immediately over white rice

12. Enjoy!

Note: You will have quite a bit of the caramelized fish sauce/palm sugar mixture left over. If you want to cut down the fish sauce and palm sugar when cooking it, then feel free to do so.