HtorB nekcihC dna reeB ni pmirhS (use a mirror...)

Sometimes I cook backwards.

I gleefully escaped the confines of my office this evening and began to think about dinner. I wanted something fairly light and decided I'd use up the remainder of some frozen shrimp. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do exactly....but I could vaguely see something brothy and pretty in a rustic Asian kind of way. It would be something light and fresh.

A mental picture emerged out of the clanging cacophony in my mind (a chaotic place indeed) and I suddenly visualized dinner before I really knew what it was exactly. Plump briny shrimp, brilliant emerald spring onions and crunchy baby corn plunged into a rich broth. Two small islands of rice rose out of the bowl, one mound of black and another of red rice. Gorgeous.

And so it was.

I walked backwards from the image of the steaming bowls in my mind and navigated in reverse through the cooking process, and finally arrived at the list of necessary ingredients.

I'm a whack job.

It wasn't bad, although I would only make it again with some modifications. I used equal parts of beer and chicken broth which I'd like to tip a bit more in the direction of the chicken broth. It also lacked a bit of zing. What I've done below is record the recipe as I'd like to try it again. I think it'll be quite tasty this way. If you try it, drop me a note and tell me in which direction you'd aim your thumb.

You can put the mirrors away now.


SHRIMP IN BEER AND CHICKEN BROTH,
with black and red rice

1 Cup Beer ( I used Bass Ale)
3 Cups low salt chicken broth
2 TBS honey
2 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp finely minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp (or more if you are me) red chile flakes

4 spring onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces (white and green parts)
small bunch of cilantro, chopped (yes Laura Rebecca, you may omit *sigh*)
1 small can baby carrots, halved
small bunch of fresh snow peas, cleaned and sliced in half

roughly 1 lb (scant) medium shrimp, cleaned

1 Cup each of cooked red and black rice (I find it packaged as "Forbidden Rice")

Add beer and chicken broth to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat to reduce by about one-third. Add honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and chile flakes. Continue cooking about five minutes more. Add vegetables and continue to simmer two minutes. Add shrimp, cook and stir until shrimp are just opaque*.





* Shrimp, when dumped into simmering liquid, are overdone faster than a NASA astronaut during happy hour. Once overcooked they toughen up and turn into little pink curls of blown-out Firestone tires (the shrimp--not the astronauts). Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner a few moments before you think the shrimp are done. They will continue to cook in the hot broth and should be served up immediately. They will be tender and succulent! Thank you for listening, I'll step down now.




Mound one third cup of red rice in each of three shallow bowls. Mound another one-third cup of black rice in each as well. Ladle shrimp mixture and broth into bowls around rice.

Makes about three servings.