It is Summer in Minnesota!
As I grew up my family helped our relatives, either for health or education needs and as such our home was usually crowded with them. My mom and dad settled down in the City of Rangoon which has the most services for health care and education, compared to the small town where they grew up. Therefore, our home was always the host for all our relatives who needed to do medical check-up or treatment.
We enjoyed the time when they visited and we were happily playing with them. We did not realize, how my mom and dad had to cope with the struggles catering for these occasions as well as looking after my grandparents.
This summer, I am quite busy with my in-laws' visit. Great meals should be served if I have guests over. I planned and tried to cook different foods to make their tummy happy. Just Joking!. But seriously, every time either my parents or my in-laws leave Minnesota, they gained weight with happier tummies.
Summertime is always my favorite season. Every state has local homegrown markets in every town and city to encourage consumers to appreciate local farmers. This is the time when our favorite Asian vegetables are available at the Farmers Market. One of our favorite vegetables is "Roselle leaves".
The Roselle leaves, shrimp and bamboo shoot stir-fry is a great delicacy for Burmese people. It has a sour taste but it is really a great condiment side dish as our traditional food.
But one typical ingredient which makes that dish bold and tasty is "shrimp paste".
Whenever I pack lunch for my husband, he doesn't want me to include this side dish. It gives a very strong odor which may not be agreeable to some who are not familiar with it. The microwave oven at the workplace is shared and he doesn't want it to stink after warming this dish.
Anyway, the appearance of that dish is not that attractive but for every Burmese who knew this dish will say " Oh! my favorite one! ". Every Burmese restaurant in Burma has this dish called "Chin-Baung-Kyaw". Of course, you must remember to order it in the Burmese name.
Stir Fried Roselle Leaves With Shrimp ( 3 servings)
( Chin-Baung-Kyaw)
Ingredients
One Bunch Roselle Leaves (makes about 2 Qt leaves without stems)
1/2 lb Peeled raw shrimp
1/2 cup Thinly sliced bamboo shoot
1 Tbsp Shrimp paste
2 Tbsp Fish sauce
10 count Thai green chili
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 cup Canola oil
2 Tbsp Garlic finely chopped
3 Tbsp Chopped shallot
1 tsp Salt
Instructions
1. In the stir fry pan, add oil and heat up with medium-high heat.
2. Add chopped shallot, garlic, chili powder and turmeric powder together and stir till fragrant.
3. Add the chopped shrimp mix with 1 tsp salt into the pan.
4. Then add 1 tbsp fish sauce and stir till fragrant.
5. Add all the roselle leaves into the pan and stir it thoroughly to make the leaves soften and blend together with chili and shrimp.
6. In the small bowl, add 3 Tbsp water and shrimp paste, mix. Then add into the pan and stir.
7. Finally, put the bamboo shoot and green chili into the pan. Add the rest of the fish sauce and cover the pan for 3 minutes with low heat.
8. Season with salt to taste.
9. When all the liquid has evaporated and the oil starts bubbling, it is ready to serve.
10. It is actually a side dish and it is good together with white rice and a main dish (Meat or Fish).
Although, it is also enjoyable with only rice (without main dish).
( Note: We may use dry shrimp powder instead of using fresh shrimp but I prefer fresh shrimp or thinly sliced pork belly)
