The spicy, flavored grilled shrimp that I repeated this summer

Given the fact of how often I bake, people assume that I prefer heartily to cute, but that could not be away from the truth. I love hearty food and look back, I realize that the dominant taste that shaped my palate from my childhood in Vietnam to adulthood was not a sweetness, but the acidity: bright, bite -sized, multi -layered acidity. Kumquats and limes, passion fruit, yuzu and tamarind – these sour ingredients were my flavor.

Most of these fruits – cumquad, lime, passion fruit and yuzu – still grow in my garden here in the USA. The only one is missing Tamarind. This taste comes from my memories of Vietnam, where a Tamarind tree stood in front of our house. I worshiped this tree. It offered a cool place to escape the heat, and its brown pods with their sticky sweet and lively pulp were a constant source of snacks and inspiration. My mother mixed the brownish pulp with warm water to extract the meat from the seeds and fibers to do everything from dip sauces to sweets, but a dish stabbed: grilled Tamarind shrimp (Tôm nướng me).

Tamarind is now an integral part of my cooking rabbit. It adds a complex acid that is subtle and rich – less sharp than lime or vinegar – with gentle fertility that improves the heat, balances sweetness and increases almost everything that touches it. It is the taste to which I come back the most, and here he plays in my tôm. Tôm translates shrimp/shrimp, Nướng means grilled, and I mean Tamarind.

For her version, my mother mixed fresh Tamarind fruit with warm water to extract the juice, and then combined it with fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallots and pepper to marinate the shrimp. She would grill her over a coal bridge, and as soon as they were cool enough, we pulled out our heads, suck the hearty juices out and crispy into the crisp mussels to get underneath for juicy, spicy, smoky meat.

Selection and preparation of the shrimp or shrimp

I demand head -on, mussels, preferably large tiger wreaths, size 8/9 (ie 8 to 9 per pound). If you do not find shrimp, colossal shell-on grain grakings also work wonderfully (preferably with your heads, but the recipe also works with headless shrimp.)

To prepare the shrimp, use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to put on it along the back – about half of the meat and leave your head, bowl and tail intact so that the two halves remain connected. Carefully separate the shell from the meat. This step helps the marinade to penetrate into all corners and columns and to give the shrimp with taste while resting.

When you turn on the heads and shells, the shells such as insulation, the sensitive meat from direct grill heat, to protect the moisture and dry the shellfish. The heads are now full of taste and fat and lend wealth while grilling and seasoning the marinade when soaked.

To keep the meat extremely and tender, I borrow a technique from Kenjis Grilled shrimp recipe And give the shrimp a quick ice in ice water with salt and baking powder before marinating. This determines them and helps to maintain This juicy snapshot When you bite in.

As soon as the shrimp are soaked and dried, the shrimp are thrown into the Tamarinde Marinade and rest in the fridge for about four hours to ensure half of the simultaneous coating. The acid marinade gently gently draws the shrimp. Even if you leave it too long on the grill (which is honest with all of us), you still become pleasantly tender and aromatic.

The sweet, sour and spicy dip sauce

While the shrimps marinate, I prepare a simple Tamarind dip sauce with fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chile of the bird’s view. It is just sharp enough to get you back to return another bite. You can open the heat with more chillies if this is your style. Simmer the mixture carefully until they are thickened and then let them cool down to room temperature as you grill the shrimp and you can get started.

Grill and serve the shrimps

If you are ready for grilling, shake the excess marinade before cooking the shrimp over a direct heat for a few minutes. The shells become crisp and fragrant, and the meat becomes opaque and tender. Do not overdo it – Shrimp and shrimp are famous to cook. Stack the juicy, smoky, sweet shellfish on a plate, dip them generously into the spicy, spicy sauce and eat them while you are still warm.

For me, this dish is more than tasty – it is an edible memory, a snapshot of sticky summer nights, the hissing of a charcoal grille and the cing of tamarind on my tongue.

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