Coconut Shrimp with Sweet and Sour Guava Sauce

This is really wonderful. I think it is better than what you get at the restaurants.  It is not as sweet which I prefer.  It is another easy recipe to fix and so very impressive when done. People will think you have gone "gourmet" on them. The recipe calls for "Panko" which is Japanese bread crumbs. This is what make this really great. You can find panko at any Asian grocery store. I am also starting to see it at some high end American grocery stores as well (Central Market, etc.) You need to measure it out and not go by weight, if you don't, you will end up wasting a lot. So make sure you measure.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs shrimp (16/20 count)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup toasted cashew nuts (crushed or finely chopped)
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
4 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying

Sweet and Sour Guava Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup guava juice
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water, for thickening

For the sauce:
In a medium saucepan, heat the garlic stirring constantly.  Add ketchup and all the ingredients, except cornstarch mixture. Stir sauce until well blended, bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly to make sure no lumps develop. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened.

For shrimp:
Shell and devein the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in separate bowl. Third bowl, mix the coconut flakes, cashew nuts and panko together.


Dust the shrimp with flour, shaking off excess, then dip them in beaten egg. Roll them in the coconut breading, making sure it is totally covered. Bread all the shrimp at the same time. Heat oil in a deep pot or wok over medium heat. Check to make sure it is hot before adding shrimp by dropping a little of the breading. If it sizzles, you are ready. Fry the shrimp, 4 or 5 at a time, for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not over crowd in the pan or they will stick together; drain on paper towels. You can serve it with the sweet and sour guava sauce on the side for dipping or you can toss in the sauce.  It is great with fried rice or steamed white rice.  You can also serve this with the sauce on the side as an appetizer. Enjoy!

Lamb with Spiced Cardamom Rice

Don't let the list of ingredients scare you. This is an easy dish to prepare and what wonderful aromas it generates during cooking. Once done, the presentation and the flavors are great. The original recipe called for clay pot cooking. The preparation was time consuming. I experimented using a crock pot and my trusty rice cooker and found an easy and convenient cooking method that did not require me to stay in the kitchen the whole time. I think you will find this dish easy and impressive.
Ingredients:
1 large onion (quartered)
2 garlic cloves
1 small green chilli (halved) optional
2 inch fresh ginger root
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
11/2 lb leg or shoulder of lamb cut in chunks
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 cinnamon stick broken into at least 3 pieces
2/3 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup rice
1/3 cup dried apricots (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste
For the rice:
1 1/4 cup basmati rice
6 cardamom pods (split)
2 tbsp butter (cut into pieces)
3 tbsp cashnew nuts or sliced almonds
Garnish:
1 onion (sliced thinly and fried golden brown)
Sprigs of fresh cilantro
In a food processor, add the quartered onion, garlic, chilli and ginger and blend to a smooth paste. Heat ghee and vegetable oil in a pan. Fry the lamb in high heat in batches until brown. Remove from pan and set aside. In the hot pan, add the paste, ground coriander, cumin and broken cinnamon sticks. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Return the lamb to the pan and gradually add the yogurt stirring constantly to ensure lamb is well coated. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Transfer the content of the pan to your crock pot and set the temperature to low and allow to cook for 3-4 hours.
Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of the lamb's cooking time. Rinse the basmatic rice several times until water runs clear. Soak the basmati rice for 20 minutes in cold water. Drain and in a pot add the water, salt and rice. Bring to a boil until liquid has evaporated (approx. 10 min); remove from heat.
If using a rice cooker, rinse the basmati rice until water runs clear. Add 2 cups of water and the rice to the rice cooker. Turn rice cooker on and let rice cooker complete the cooking process. When all water has evaporated and before the rice cooker "clicks" over to "warm", follow the transfer process to the crock pot.
Add split cardamom to rice and stir. Add chopped apricots to lamb. Pile the rice ontop of the lamb in the crock pot, dot with butter pieces and sprinkle with cashnew nuts. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
Uncover and combine the lamb and rice together. Spoon to a bowl and garnish with the fried onions and sprigs of cilantro. Enjoy!
Note: I've prepared this without the green chilli. The other spices provide so much flavor you don't miss it.