Paradox Blog

Have you cut corners at cooking to save time? Well I have and I am not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes you get great joy at the pains-taking details and elaborated preparation some dishes require. But more often than not, meals were prepared in a hurry in our house. I'd try tips from friends and experiment by myself to use pre-processed food to save time. I'd have to say, some had become a must in my recipes. For example good quality pre-shelled tail-on raw shrimps save me time and trouble from de-veining and shelling. Why the tail-on ones? Intended for shrimp cocktails, they are more likely in better quality than those completely shelled ones. A store-bought rotisserie chicken is much more feasible to a salad dish than cooking a raw chicken from the start. And you could have a roast chicken meal first and use the left over portion in a salad. Lastly, not many people can resist litchi fruit once they tasted it. Enjoy the fresh ones when they are in season but chill a canned one and add exotic flavor to the mixed fruit cocktail all year long. Share with you some of my great finds.

Sauté Shelled Shrimp with Chopped Leek

2 lbs. tail-on shelled raw shrimp, defrost and tail removed
1/4 cup chopped leek
2 tblsp cooking wine
2 tblsp cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate shrimp with wine, salt and pepper for 10 minutes. Heat oil, use medium heat, and stir in shrimp. Keep stirring until all shrimp meat starts to turn opaque. Add leak and cover for 30 seconds. Stir to mix leek and shrimp. Serve warm. Makes eight 1/2-cup servings.

Sauté Shelled Shrimp with Asparagus

1 lb. tail-on shelled raw shrimp, defrost and tail removed
1 lb. asparagus
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tblsp cooking wine
2 tblsp cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate shrimp with wine, salt and pepper for 10 minutes. Heat one tblsp of oil, use medium heat, and stir in shrimp. Keep stirring until all shrimp meat turns opaque. Remove cooked shrimp from heat and set aside. Remove tough stem and skin of asparagus, cut at an angle into two-inch strips. Heat another tblsp of oil, braised crushed garlic. Stir in asparagus strips and some salt and pepper. Cover for 1 minute. Turn off heat, mix in shrimp. Serve warm. Makes 4 3/4-cup servings.

Shredded Chicken Salad

1 cup shredded chicken meat
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1/2-cup bean spouts
1/2 cup shredded cucumber
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped nuts or toasted sesame seeds, optional
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp vinegar
1 tblsp sesame oil
1 teasp sugar

In a big bowl, layer in  lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, carrot, chicken and scallion.  Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Right before serving. Pour on dressing and toss salad. Sprinkle on chopped nuts if used. Serve cold. Makes four 3/4-cup servings.

Litchi Fruit Cocktail

1 can litchi in syrup, about 16 oz
1/2 can pineapple cubes in juice, about 10 oz 
1 cup halved fresh green grapes
1 cup peeled and cubed apple
1 cup cubed lemon flavor gelatin

Chill canned fruits, grapes and gelatin. Peel and cube apples right before mixing. In a big bowl, mix in canned litchi and syrup, pineapple and juice, grapes, apples and gelatin cubes. Serve chilled. Makes ten 1/2-cup servings.