Steamed Shrimp with Lemongrass-Coconut Sauce

Name: Steamed Shrimp with Lemongrass-Coconut Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 lemongrass stalks; 1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce); 2 limes; 1 pound shrimp, peeled and, if you like, deveined; 1 small dried chile; 1/2 cup fresh or canned coconut milk; 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar; Pinch of saffron threads or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric or curry powder; Salt

December 20, 2011

Dealing with the lemongrass is the sole challenge of this dish, and only if you’ve never done it before. Maximum flavor is released from whole lemongrass stalks when they are beaten up a bit; bruising the length of each stalk with the blunt edge of a knife takes care of this in seconds. But to include lemongrass in a sauce you must first remove the tough outer layers—this is not unlike peeling a woody scallion—and then carefully and finely mince the inner core.

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