Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Every time we go to the restaurant, we always ended ordering this dish. It's crunchy and so yummy. I always wanted to make it, just never got a chance to do so.  Since my nieces and nephews are visiting me today, I decided to make this dish. Basically, it's a simple dish. You need to buy the whole shrimp with head and everything.  Once you done washing it with cold water, salt and vinegar, white wine, and devined them. Then you let it dry a little bit and then add a little bit of seasoning (salt, pepper, sugar, and chicken powder).  As for the veggies, you need red bell pepper, white onion and green scallions.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 lbs of shrimp (washed and devined)
1/2 white onion (cut into thin slices)
1/2 red bell pepper (cut into thin slices)
2 Jalapeno~ pepper (cut into thin round slices)
3 green scallions (cut into inches wide)

Marinade for shirmp:
A little bit of salt, pepper, sugar, and chicken powder

Before frying:
Add 3 TB of tapioca flour into the shrimp and make sure it covered all the shrimp
Use a plastic bag. It's easy to shake the shrimp evenly with the tapioca flour

Method:
Fry the shrimp and drained it with paper towel

Dry season for the shrimp:
1 TB of sugar, 1/2 tp Salt, 1/2 tp Chicken powder
1/2 tp garlic powder, 1/2 black pepper

Method:
Wok : high head, olk, white onion, scallion, red bell pepper, and jalepeno~ (stir a little)
Add shrimp. Add the dry season.  Done

Shrimp Bruschetta

Everytime, there is a party and I don't feel like doing a lot of cooking I always ended up making this appertizer.  Not only it's simple, but delicious and it's always a HIT at every party.  I actually made this at my Uncle's house warming party last month and everyone has been asking for recipe.  Since the Holidays are around the corner, I thought I share this recipe.

Ingredients:
-1 lbs of shrimp (cleaned , deveined and diced into small pieces)
-1/2 container of crab meat (You can purchase at your local grocery or Costco's.)
-bell peppers (red, yellow, and green. I used half of each - cleaned, diced)
-1/2 medium onion (cleand and diced)
-1/2 medium red onion (cleanded and diced)
-bunch of cilantro (for garnish)
-1/2 bunch of scallions (cleaned and cut into small pieces)
-3 cloves of garlic (minced into small pieces)
-1/2 tsp of chicken powder, salt, pepper and sugar (add more or less depend on your taste)
-2 to 3 TB of mayonaise (use this to mix into fillings later once it's cool down)
-French bread (cut into thin slices. I usually get 3 french bread).

Method:
Fillings:
1) Wok: add oil, minced garlic, and everything in except (cilantro, scallions, and mayonaise).
2) Turn off heat, and add scallion and cilantro
NOTE: Pour out any liquid from the filling. You dont' want liquid!
3) Once the filling is cool, add 2-3 TB of mayo.
4) Scoop 1/2 TB of filling onto the bread slices.  Add some cheese on top.
NOTE: do not add too much filling or else it will not be crunchy.
5) Put all on the baking tray for 400 degree F between 10-15 min depend on your oven.
6) Turn to Broil in last 5 min for crunchy top.
7) Serve

Trust me, it will be a HIT at your party!

Steamed Snapper with Ginger and Scallion

Did I mention how much I love my instant pot? Yesterday, I have the craving for steamed fish, and went to the market to get a snapper.  After I cleaned and patted it dry, I marinated with salt and pepper, and added a few slices of ginger and scallion to the belly.  Then add a little bit of wine to get rid of the fishy smell along with a little bit of seseme oil.  Then I put in the microwave for 10 min, then pour away the water that came out from it. 

Ingredients:
-1 snapper
-ginger
-scallion
-salt & pepper
-cilantro and some scallion (for garnish)
-shallot & garlic

Sauce:
-soy sauce
-chicken broth or water
-sugar
-seseme oil
-garlic
-ginger

To make the sauce:
-Wok/Pan/ add oil and minced garlic/shallot (took some out and put aside .  You can put some to garnish the fish later.
-Add ginger
-Add chicken brother and water
-Add seseme oil and sugar
Note: the sauce should be sweet and not so salty.

Method: To steam the fish in IP, check out the steps below.
1. Put one cup of water in the instant pot.
2. Add the trivet and put the stainless steel plate with fish. (You might have to cut the fish in half to fit in the IP)
3. High Manual 12 min. Quick Release
4. Garnish with scallions & Cinlantros
5.  Then pour the sauce over the fish
6. Enjoy!


Here is my instant pot steamed fish in 12 minutes. YUM!

Turkey

This past Thanksgiving, I baked a Turkey and it turned out awesome. I definitely going to use the same recipe again. I like to share the recipe with everyone.  Here you go.  Again, I brined the turkey for 2 days and I put in my garage and in the cooler surrounded with ice. The next day, I took it out and put it in the sink. Then I boiled a pot of hot water and pour over the skin of the turkey and let it sit in room temperature.  Then I dried it with papertowel and then rubbed butter , olive oil and fresh herbs all over it. The final product turn out so moist and yummy.

Ingredients:

Recipe: for 18lbs-20lbs turkey (Brine Seasoning)🦃 

1 1/2 cup salt, 1cup sugar, 1 cup chicken powder, 1soup spoon garlic powder, 1 soup spoon white pepper, 1 cup cooking wine or beer, 2 can coco rico, 30cup water, 1 soup spoon black pepper (whole seeds), 1/2 handful rosemary, hand size ginger cut thin (I mash it a lil with the meat tenderizer), 1/2-1 onion cut wedges, 1 head garlic. 
Next day have a medium pot boiling water ready, take the turkey out sit in the clean sink pour boiling water on the breast size then turn it pour on the bone size so it get tender (you can see the pores are closing as u pour the boiling water) 
Turn down 350* for 3hrs covered in foil 
After 3hrs take foil out roast another 30’ still at 350. 
No need to check in the middle or pour the broth on turkey! It turn out moist and flavorful!

Soak the turkey in that mixture overnight in the fridge or cooler fill with ice. I used the brand new trash bag and put the turkey in.

Sit in the roast pan have rack, add in onion, apple, orange, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, a can of chicken broth, (I added ginger it’s smell good after.

Set Oven Roast 400* for 1hr covered in foil

Enjoy!

Steamed Banana Cake

Whenever I need to get rid of ripe bananas, I always make this Vietnamese dessert. Not only it's yummy but good for you. It's one of my favorite desserts. I garnished the this dessert with peanut, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and shredded coconut.  This dish is always one of the crowd pleaser. 

Ingredients

1.     6 Bananas (cut into small pieces)

2.     3 TB of sugar (I used soup spoon)

3.     Pinch of salt

4.     1 1/2 cups tapioca starch

5.     ¼ cup and 1 soup spoon of water

6.     1 packet vanilla sugar

7.     2 drops of yellow food color

8.     Coconut Sauce:1 can of coconut milk, ½ can of water, 2 soup spoon of sugar, pinch of salt (mix all together). 1 soup spoon of tapioca starch. Peanut for garnish.

Method:

Banana cake:

1.     Mix all the ingredients from 1-7 together.

2.     Spray oil in your mould and pour in the mixture.

3.     Steam it for 40 minutes

Coconut sauce:

Mix all the ingredients together.

add the tapioca starch and a little water. Mix well.

Add in the pot

Garnish with peanut, seseme seeds, and sugar and salt.  Shredded coconut.

Thanksgiving 2017

Usually, I don't bake Turkey for Thanksgiving since there is always someone is willing to do it.  However, this year I decided to do it.  Like I said, it has been a while since I baked a turkey.  I didn't even know which recipes to use.  Finally, I decided to use Xuan Hong's recipe.  Instead of brining the turkey for one day, I did it for 2 days.  I was very happy with the result. We didn't even have any left over.  We had a feast at my Brother's house this year.  Check out all the yummy food!

Salmon & Shrimp Teriyaki Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Recently, I try to eat healthy so usually I would have salad twice a week.  Today, I made Salmon and Shrimp teriyaki sald with Balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  It was so yummy and healthy.

Ingredient:

-Salmon (marinade for 30 min)

-Shrimp

-Salad

-Whatever fruits or veggies you like with your salad (pear, apple, avocado, bell peppers, strawberries, mangoes, ect)

-Cheese

Teriyaki Marinade

- 3TB of soy sauce

-3TB of honey

-2 TB of oyster sauce

-Olive oil

-Musturb

-salt

-pepper

-garlic, ginger, some herbs

Method:

-Put salmon and Shrimp in 400 degree F for 5-7 min

-Turn Broil for 3 min

-Put seseme on top

Enjoy!