Dish of Shrimp with Asparagus & Mushrooms
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Shrimp w/ Asparagus, Mushrooms


Thailand   -   Naw-mai Farang Pad Nahm Man Hoi
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 w/rice
**
45 min
Prep		 A delicious light main course for when fresh asparagus is in season. For details of our method and other approaches, see Comments.




8
5
1
4
2
1-1/2
-------
3
1
1/3
-------
oz
oz
#
cl

T
---
T
T
c
---
Shrimp
Mushroom (1)
Asparagus (2)
Garlic
Red Chili (3)
Oil
-- Sauce
Oyster Sauce (4)  
Fish sauce (5)
Stock
--------------
Prep   -   (35 min - exclusive of shelling shrimp)
  1. Shell SHRIMP and de-vein if needed. Cut in half if very large.
  2. Slice the MUSHROOMS 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (see Note-1 for details of preparation).
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
  4. Seed CHILIS and slice into threads or thin rings.
  5. Break tough ends off ASPARAGUS. Cut spears into thirds, keeping the tip, middle and end pieces separate. If you want to be fancy, cut on a diagonal.
  6. Bring some water to a boil, toss in the thick ends of the Asparagus and boil for 1-1/2 minutes, then the middle sections for another 1 minute. Finally toss in the tips and continue at a strong simmer until just tender, about 4 more minutes. When tender, pour in enough cold water to stop the cooking but keep the asparagus warm.
  7. Mix all Sauce Items.
Run   -   (10 min)
  1. Heat OIL in a wok or spacious sauté pan and fry Garlic just until aromatic, then stir in Mushrooms and fry stirring about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in Sauce mix and bring to a boil. Keep at a simmer, stirring now and then, until Mushrooms are cooked, which will depend on type and thickness.
  3. Stir in Shrimp and Chilis. Cook stirring until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
  4. Drain Asparagus, stir it in and cook just long enough to heat through. Serve immediately with steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Mushrooms:

      My favorite for this recipe is the small King Trumpet Oyster Mushrooms now easily available here in Southern California. Fresh Shiitakes are also good, but after slicing, soak in hot water for 20 minutes, then wring them out. This greatly improves their texture. Dried Black Mushrooms can also be used, but soak them in warm water for about 45 minutes before slicing. You will need 1-1/4 ounces dry to equal 5 ounces of fresh mushrooms. For details, see our Fungus page.

  2. Asparagus:

      This recipe works best with medium thick asparagus spears. For details see our Asparagus page.

  3. Chilis:

      Around here we all use red ripe Fresnos, but Holland Red or similar will do fine. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  4. Oyster Sauce:

      A standard Chinese sauce also used in Southeast Asia for dishes in the Chinese style. My current favorite is Megachef, but Lee Kum Kee Premium brand is also very good - the bottle looks very Chinese, but it's made in Los Angeles. Yes, these are more expensive than some, but there's reasons for that (much higher oyster content, unleaded and no melamine). For details see our Oyster Sauce page.

  5. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  6. Comments:

      Some people cut the Asparagus diagonally into shorter pieces and stir them into the wok as the final item, stir frying until crisp tender without stock. The method given here makes all the sections cooked perfectly, the shrimp are not over-cooked and there's plenty of sauce to moisten the rice. At least one fancy chef cooks the Asparagus, Shrimp and Mushrooms separately and whole, and makes the sauce (all other ingredients) separately. The main ingredients are arranged on a plate and some sauce spooned over. Too fussy for me.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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