Dish of Deviled Shrimp
(click to enlarge)

Deviled Shrimp


Sri Lanka   -   Isso Baduma

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
3 w/rice
**
35 min
Prep
Originally upscale bar food during the British Raj, this delicious recipe has been adapted by Sri Lankans, for appetizer or main dish. See also Comments.




11
7
7
7
-------
2
1
2
2
-------
1

oz
oz
oz
oz
---
T
T
t
t
---
T

Shrimp (1)
Onion
Bell Pepper, grn
Bell Pepper, red
-- Sauce
Tomato Sauce (2)  
Soy Sauce
Chili Powder (3)
Sesame Oil, dark
--------------
Oil

Do Ahead
  1. Shell SHRIMP and de-vein if needed. You can leave the tails on if you wish.
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Quarter ONION lengthwise and slice about 1/4 inch wide crosswise.
  2. Opt:   Blast BELL PEPPERS black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water. (see Note-4).
  3. Cut Bell Peppers into strips about 3/8 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches long.
  4. Mix all Sauce Items. If serving as a main dish with rice, add a couple tablespoons of Water.
Run   -   (9 min)
  1. In a wok or skillet, heat OIL over highest flame, but not quite to smoking.
  2. Stir in Onions and fry stirring for 30 seconds. Stir in Bell Peppers and fry stirring for 1 minute. Stir in Shrimp and fry stirring 1-1/4 minutes, then stir in Sauce and fry stirring 1 minute more. Note: stirring in time doesn't count, time is for after stirring in - but stir in as quickly as possible.
  3. Take off the heat and serve immediately.
NOTES:
  1. Shrimp:

      [Prawns]   Weight is raw, headless, shelled and de-veined.
  2. Tomato Sauce:

      My favorite is Faraon Spanish Style, which comes in small 8 ounce cans, but other simple sauces will also work.
  3. Chili Powder:

      Here is where you control the Devil. I use Indian Khandela or Reshampatti, which makes this recipe fairly hot, and to my liking. Use your own best judgement on what powder and how much. Just keep in mind it's Sri Lankan, so should not be mild. For details see our Indian Chilis page.
  4. Bell Peppers:

      The pattern recipe doesn't blast the Bell Peppers, but cuts them into smaller 1/2 inch squares. The cooking time is so short this works well enough, but I still prefer the mouth feel with the skins off - particularly important if any part will be reheated. With the torch, it only takes a few minutes.
  5. Comments:

      The pattern recipe is from a cookbook by a married couple of Sri Lankans, he a Tamil, she Sinhalese - but it was published in England, so typically, the photo does not at all represent the recipe. It shows a small dish with several sauced shrimp and a folded dosa - no vegetables at all. For most English cookbooks the publisher holds the copyright, so authors have limited control. I have modifying handling the onion. The pattern recipe quarterd it lingthwise, then spread out the layers of the quarters.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
imf_shmpdev1 201031 sl178   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.