Curried Corn and Shrimp Soup

2 cups regular-strength chicken broth
2 medium-size tart apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 large red bell pepper (stemmed and seeded)
4 cups cold buttermilk
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups cooked corn kernels
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/3 lb. tiny cooked shrimp
Cilantro Sprigs (optional)

In a 4- to 5- quart pan over high heat combine broth, apples, onion, and
curry. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until apples mash easily (about
30 min). Let cool, then cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours or up to
a day. Smoothly puree mixture in a blender or food processor.

Cut a few thin slivers from bell pepper and set aside; dice remaining pepper
and put into a tureen with apple puree, buttermilk, lime juice, 1 1/4 cups of
corn and minced cilantro. Ladle soup into bowls and top with shrimp, remaining
corn, bell pepper strips, and cilantro sprigs.

Meg Jahnke

Fried Shrimp and Peas

Ingredients:
150g raw shrimp, unshelled
1 medium size onion
150g of beef
½ cup of peas
Spring onions
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of salt
Pepper (shred)
Groundnut oil
Seasoning (1 knorr chicken cube, curry and thyme)
2 teaspoons of water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method:

Remove the shell and rinse the shrimp properly, cut into small pieces, season with half a cube of knorr chicken, salt, onion, curry and thyme and set aside for 20 minutes. Wash the beef, season and cook until it becomes soft and dice it. Dice the onion as well as the spring onion. Pour some oil into the frying pan, when it becomes hot stir fry the diced beef and peas for a while then, pour into a plate and set it aside. Shred the pepper, stir fry the pepper, shrimp and the onion as well and set aside. Break the eggs into a plate add some salt and beat with a fork and set aside. Heat the frying pan and add very little groundnut oil, when it becomes hot pour about half of the egg and cook for a while, when it is thoroughly cooked, turn it over so that both sides are cooked. Cook the other half of the egg the same way too and cut the egg into thin strips and set aside. Pour all the fried ingredients ( pepper, shrimp, onion, beef, peas, cornstarch, spring onions) together with the exception of the fried egg and mixed them together properly, then pour into a plate and garnish it with the fried egg.

Titilayo Ajumobi is a system administrator who loves to cook and likes to experiment with different dishes to get the best out of them. For more information on different African dishes visit http://african-dishes.blogspot.com/ .

Shrimp Fried Rice

Ingredients:

* 8 cups cooked white rice – cooled (cooking instructions below)
* ¾ – 1 pound shrimps - raw, peeled and deveined (see marinade below)
* ½ medium onion – sliced
* 6 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and chopped
* 8 TBSPs. olive or vegetable oil - divided
* 4 bunches green onions – chopped
* 4 – 6 TBSPs. teriyaki sauce
* 4 eggs – lightly scrambled and cooked separately

Marinate shrimps with the following:

* 1 TBSP. rice vinegar
* 1 tsp. salt
* ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
* 1 TBSP. cornstarch

Heat the wok or a large skillet and add 2 tablespoons oil. (Be sure to distribute the oil around the wok or skillet.) Once the oil is very hot (just before it starts smoking), add the marinated shrimps and stir fry just until barely pink. Remove shrimps onto a plate and set aside.

Scrape bits and pieces from the wok and discard. Reheat the wok and add 3 tablespoons oil. (Again, be sure to distribute the oil around the wok or skillet.) Sauté garlic, onions and green onions. Stir fry about 2 minutes. Add cooked and cooled rice and stir fry about 8 – 10 minutes. Keep stirring the rice so it won’t stick on the bottom of the wok. Add the barely cooked shrimps to the rice. Stir about 2 minutes. Drizzle teriyaki sauce over the rice and shrimp mixture. Stir until rice and shrimps are evenly coated with the teriyaki sauce.

Turn the heat to low.

Heat another skillet and add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Crack 4 large eggs and stir to lightly scramble the eggs. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Let the eggs set and cook on one side and turn over to cook the other side. (Your eggs should resemble an omelet.) Tear the eggs into large pieces and add to the fried rice. Stir and serve.

Here’s how to cook rice on a pot if you don’t have a rice cooker. (3 cups of uncooked rice should yield 8 – 9 cups of cooked rice.)

* 3 cups uncooked white rice (I use Jasmine rice)
* 4 ½ cups water

Measure 3 cups of rice into a 3 quarts pot. Wash rice and drain. Wash rice again and drain as much of the water.

Add 4 ½ cups of filtered, drinking water into the pot. Boil rice over medium high heat. When the rice starts to boil, stir the pot to evenly distribute the heat. Continue boiling the rice until all liquid evaporate. Cover the pot and turn the heat to very low. Set your timer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and keep the cover for another 10 minutes. Remover the cover and stir rice to let the steam out and separate the rice. Let the rice cool uncovered.

Keep the pot covered during the 20 minute period.

Shrimps and Green Beans

Ingredients:

Shrimps:

* ¾ - 1 pound shrimps – raw, peeled, deveined

Marinate:

* 1 TBSP. rice vinegar
* 1 tsp. kosher salt
* ¼ tsp. black pepper
* 1 TBSP. cornstarch
* 2 tsps. sesame oil

Vegetables:

* 1 ½ pounds green beans – trimmed and blanched
* ½ large onion – sliced
* 3 bunches green onions – chopped
* 6 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped
* 8 dried hot chili peppers (optional)
* 5 TBSPs. vegetable oil or olive oil - divided
* 1 TBSP. sesame seeds

Sauce:

* 3 TBSPs. oyster sauce
* 2 TBSPs. teriyaki sauce
* 1 ½ TBSPs. cornstarch
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1 ½ cups shrimp stock, chicken stock or water
* ¼ - ½ tsp. ground hot peppers (optional)

Trim green beans and chop them into 2 inch pieces. Boil water and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Blanch green beans in boiling and salted water for 3 minutes. Remove, drain and set aside.

Prepare the sauce as directed above.

Heat a wok and add 3 tablespoons oil. Add blanched green beans and stir fry about 3 minutes or until slightly wilted. Remove onto a plate and set aside.

Reheat the wok and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in garlic, onions, green onions, and hot chili peppers. Stir fry about 2 minutes. Add the marinated shrimps and stir fry until shrimps are pink, about 4 minutes. Create a well in the middle of the wok by pushing the shrimps, garlic, onions and peppers to the side. Add the sauce and rapidly bring it to a boil over high heat, while stirring constantly! Turn the heat to medium and stir the shrimps, vegetables and the sauce. Add the stir fried green beans. Stir until the green beans are coated with the sauce and mixed well with the shrimps and other vegetables. Sprinkle sesame seeds and serve over egg noodles or white rice.

For egg noodles… follow cooking directions on package. (I add 2 tsps. sesame oil and 3 tsps. kosher salt to the boiling water before cooking the egg noodles.)