Steamed Shrimp with Lemongrass-Coconut Sauce

Name: Steamed Shrimp with Lemongrass-Coconut Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 lemongrass stalks; 2 tablespoons nam pla; 3 limes; 2 pounds shrimp, peeled; 1 small dried chile; 1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 large pinch of saffron threads or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric or curry powder; Salt to taste

December 14, 2011

You have an aesthetic choice to make in preparing this dish, which is great as part of a cool meal in summer. Add a couple of Asian-style salads, like Tomato Salad with Ginger (page 173) or Green Papaya Salad (page 174), and you’re in business. The coconut sauce, with its sugar, lemongrass, and chile—all typical Thai flavors— is wonderfully flavorful but stark white. Adding a large pinch of saffron turns it a glorious yellow and adds the distinctive complexity of that spice, a nice touch. If you prefer, you can use some ground turmeric—whose flavor is bitter but not at all unpleasant—or curry powder. Or just leave the sauce as is. See page 500 for information on Thai fish sauce (nam pla).

Recipe notes

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