Thai cook-off

There is nothing quite as delicious as fresh shrimp. Anything from the supermarket freezer is a turn-off for me personally and shrimp most of all. So even though it involves a trek down to the Korean Market, I am motivated and come back with pounds of the stuff. This time I grabbed some fresh lemon grass and bird's eye chili peppers along with it and got creative.

Anyone who has walked down a street in Thailand, has experienced the wafts of fresh lemongrass and galangal from the vendors that cook street side. It was time to re-create those flavors and smells....

Linda an old friend and my biggest fan ( in the kitchen) acted as sous chef as we got busy and conjured up a pretty impressive meal

with the shrimp, a bag of Bokchoy and some Jasmine rice. Everything was wiped out- a good sign at the end of any meal and the cleanup was a breeze!

My Recipe for Shrimp stir-fried with chilies and lemongrass:

2 dozen shrimp

4 cloves garlic

2 stalks of lemon grass ( only the tender tips)

1"piece of ginger

2 tbsp oil

4-5 bird's eye chilies chopped fine ( adjust to taste)

a handful of Thai basil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp palm sugar

salt to taste

1. Clean, devein and rinse the shrimp. Leave to drain in a colander.

2. Grind in a food processor or simply pound with a mortar and pestle, the lemon grass, ginger and garlic.

3. Rub the shrimp with this paste. Heat oil in a wok and saute the shrimp over high heat. Do not overcook, but add in the remaining ingredients quickly. Saute briefly and serve hot with Jasmine rice.