Grilled shrimp with tamarind noodles
June 11, 2008 | 19 Comments
The heatwave finally broke here in NY, but a freak thunderstorm last night made it very humid. This is the kind of weather that makes me crave something refreshing that doesn’t require much fuss (or heat) to prepare. I decided to make use of some rice noodles I picked up at a Thai market over the weekend, stopping by Whole Foods to pick up some nice looking shrimp.
I’ve had a container of tamarind concentrate in my pantry that’s been crying out to be used and I figured its intensely tart sweetness would make the perfect base for my marinade. Making a separate marinade and sauce for the noodles seemed like too much work for my languid mood so, I just made extra marinade to use as a sauce for the noodles.
The grilled shrimp had a smokey sweet glaze that caramelized under the broiler and the noodles tasted a bit like pad Thai. As a whole, the dish was a perfect melding of sweet, sour, savoury and spicy with just a touch of creaminess coming from the avocado’s to smooth over the sharpness of the tamarind.I served this with some mint pickled summer squash that made last night. It added just the right amount of crunch, a vibrant yellow color and it’s own complimentary sweet tartness.
Update: I just noticed the July Jihva for Ingredients is for Tamarind, so this is getting entered.
8oz dry rice noodles rehydrated in warm water for 20 minutes
2 green onions
1/2 avocado slicedfor shrimp marinade
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs tamarind concentrate
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 Tbs mirin (sweet cooking wine)
1 Tbs oil
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 clove garlic pressed or minced
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 lbs shrimpfor noodles
1 Tbs oil
1 egg
Soak the rice noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes until they are no longer stiff then drain.
Using a negi cutter, or sharp knife, cut the green onion lengthwise into thin strips. Soak the onions in a bowl of cold water then put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will neutralize the strong (make your eyes water) oniony taste and make them curl up as if you gave them a perm.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together except the shrimp. Because of the acidity of the tamarind, the marinade will cook your shrimp (like ceviche) if you put the shrimp in too early. Put them in the marinade about 5 minutes before you’re ready to cook them.
If you’re grilling the shrimp, skewer them, otherwise get a pan with some oil in it nice and hot. Grill or fry the shrimp for a few minutes on each side until they’re cooked. Keep the marinade for the noodles.
Meanwhile, get another pan very hot (a wok would work nicely if you have a burner that puts out enough heat). Add a tablespoon of oil. Break an egg into the hot oil and stir around vigorously to scramble. When the egg is cooked, add the drained noodles and fry until they are well coated with oil. Add the tamarind marinade to the noodles and toss with 2 wooden spoons to coat and cook through.
If you’ve timed it all right the noodles and shrimp should be done around the same time. Put down a layer of noodles, slice some avocado and layer on top along with the shrimp. Top with some curled green onions and serve.
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Category: Pasta | Seafood | Southeast Asian Recipes | Summer
Tags: avacado, glazed, grilled, rice noodles, South East Asian, tamarind, tart
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19 Responses to “Grilled shrimp with tamarind noodles”
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Nice! It kinda reminds me of a pad thai, which my family loves
Your shrimp looks cooked to perfection. I can imagine this would come together quickly and be satisfying. Yum!
Those shrimp look like they have been soaking in a marinade all day but it was such a quick meal!
Shrimp and tamarind are made for each other. Thank you for the delicious entry!
Wonderful ingredients…imagine the aroma when the shrimp hits the grill!
Beautiful, what a great summer dish! I can practically taste it. And there’s that negi cutter again! I just now happened across your delicious looking asparagus with mint pesto recipe and learned about this tool. It’s bad enough I want to try all your recipes, now you’ve got me wanting to shop too.
wow. sweet, sour, savoury and spicy. that’s everything in one dish. brill!
also, like that the avocado adds an element of ‘coolness’ to it all.
It has been tooo hot here! It’s finally cooling down a bit here! Last night was the first time I’ve ever used mirin. It makes such a big difference to sauce combos! I must try your recipe now!
yes indeed, it would take a very special craving for me to turn on my oven in this ridiculous heat. this dish is a lovely alternative–it’s got an awesome marinade, and hey! avocado! i’m sold.
This looks great and the avocado is the topper for me. I try to make really quick cooking dishes in the hot weather as well. I can’t bear to turn on the oven.
That looks good. I also have a jar of tamarind that I have been wondering what to do with…
Those shrimp look fabulous! One question, though. Is tamarind concentrate anything like tamarind paste? I have the paste, but I’ve never seen the concentrate.
I have the same question as Susan. Also, a lot of the tamarind stuff I see on store shelves is sweetened. I assume that’s wrong for this recipe?
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Marc! A lot of my stuff is really in “no recipe” territory, in that Greek cooks just make the dishes from memory with slightly different amounts every time. Of course, like you, I have to post an actual recipe for the reader who’s never had the dish or has had it but isn’t sure how to get started making it. You do a fantatastic job of writing a clearly usable recipe while also reassuring your readers that it’s okay to do their own thing.
this looks great! I love the addition of avocado- I love it with grilled shrimp and I imagine it goes beautifully with the flavor of tamarind. This is a must-try for me.
[...] Tamarind Glazed Shrimp with Rice Noodles [...]
Cool recipe. I just found your blog while looking around for other shrimp recipes. I just recently posted a recipe for Caramel and Ginger Shrimp that I adapted from “The Spended Table” cookbook and posted it on my blog @ http://cookingquest.wordpress.com if you would like to come take a look. I love feedback and other cook’s opinions for sure.
Thanks and have a great one!
Joe
Truly beautiful photography and a wonderfully easy recipe. Thank you! And (ahem…) now I shall go back to searching for my own name.
making it tonight.
I bought all this tamarind to make tamarind chutney for my big Indian dinner party. The whole pods and dried ones. Do you have any ideas on how to use the whole pods?
I’ve never tried using the whole pods, but with the pulp I just steep it in boiling water. Looking around the internet it looks like you just cover the pods in water and cook over low heat until the pods are falling apart, then you press it through a sieve.