Grocery Shopping – Ingredients for Oriental Recipes

Oriental market Main Pic

Believe it or not, it’s so easy shopping for ingredients for Oriental recipes.  I’d dare say, it’s even fun.  You get so much culture in such a little place and sometimes its just really nice to get out of my comfort zone only to realize it can be just as comfortable somewhere else.

The folks at this 1st Oriental Market are amazing people.  They’re so eager to help with all your needs.  And I find that this is common just about anywhere I go when it comes to foreign food.  People like to share their experiences and culture.  I find that it isn’t any different here and the owner, Earl and his wife, make it a real pleasant experience.

Most Oriental Cooking, these days, is very simplified because almost all of the guess work has already been cut out for you.  I don’t have to make every individual sauce that is used to combine with other sauces to make one great recipe.  For example: when a recipe calls for Hoisin Sauce, you don’t have to make you’re own Hoisin Sauce from scratch(which would require several other ingredients), you just crack open a bottle.  And what about Plum Sauce… could you imagine having to make that beforehand too?  Both of these ingredients are in my Chinese Barbecue Sauce recipe, which only has 5 or 6 ingredients: Hoisin, Plum Sauce, Ketchup, Sugar, 5 spice powder etc., and that makes it really simple just buying each one of those premade bottles.  But, could you imagine having to make all of those ingredients as well?  You’d be making ingredients for your ingredients.

That being said, I would just like you to understand and realize that you don’t have to learn translations of ingredients you’ve probably never heard of in the first place.  Because, most of the basic ingredients I show you in this video are very versatile to most of the popular Americanized Oriental recipes that you’re likely familiar with anyway.

So get familiar with the few I show you now and I’ll introduce more as we go and you’ll be a pro before you know it!

Thai Red Curry Shrimp – Spicy Prawns Recipe

Thai Red Curry Shrimp Main pic

This Thai Red Curry Shrimp recipe was just the thing I needed to film this week. With Independence day just around the corner, I thought a spin on the traditional “Shrimp on the Barbee” was in order.  Though I pan fry in this video recipe, there’s no reason why you couldn’t take these straight to the grill after the Prawns are marinated.

I lucked out at the super market when I found these whole jumbo shrimp with heads.  That’s not normally how I buy them.  But they give that Awe and Wow effect when they’re served this way.  And just so you know, you don’t have to have whole jumbo’s .  Just use what you’ve got and what’s available.

Also, if curry and/or spicy shrimp recipes are you’re thing, you might want to check out the Curry Chicken Salad and the Firecracker Shrimp recipes I’ve listed below!

CLICK HERE for Curry Chicken Salad
CLICK HERE for Firecracker Shrimp

Thai Red Curry Shrimp Ingredients:

1 lbs Jumbo Shrimp, Whole (8 to 10)

MARINADE
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1/4 cup Fish Sauce
1 Lime, juiced
1 tsp Kosher Salt

Splash of Sherry or White Wine when cooking the shrimp (about 2 tbsp)

Topping
3 tbsp Butter, melted
2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1 tsp Fresh Thai Basil, chopped
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes

For the Topping, combine the melted butter with the curry paste, add a pinch of Kosher salt, the Chili flakes and chopped Basil.

Fried Banana

Fried Banana Main pic

This Fried Banana recipe is very easy to make and it takes about 10 minutes total from start to finish.  That’s including the time it takes to make my fresh Berry Syrup and the link for that is down below.  This recipe is something that P.F. Chang’s use to serve and I especially like it around Valentines Day.  It’s a dessert that anyone can make on their first try because it’s practically fail safe.  That means guys can make this for their gals with out any problems and visa versa.  I’ve also added my Oreo Waffle recipe that I like to top with this Berry Syrup as well, just in case you want a Valentines breakfast idea instead.

Fried Banana Ingredients:

Bananas, 1 per serving
Egg Roll or Spring Roll Wrappers, 1 per serving
Berry Syrup, 1/2 cup per serving
Powdered Sugar, to dust the plate
Oil for Frying

Watch the short video tutorial and fry at 375° Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 minutes for a perfect Fried Banana.