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Deep-Fried Shrimp Tacos with Papaya-Pomegranate Slaw and Peanut Dressing

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Deep Fried Shrimp Tacos with a Papaya-Pomegranate Slaw and a Peanut Dressing

This vibrant recipe came out of a Mystery Box Challenge I did for fun on my snapchat. If you guys watch MasterChef (which if you are a foodie and love reality-tv competitions like me, then you are most certain familiar with) then you know that mastering this pressure test is indeed a great feat of creative thinking, time management, technical skills, and acute focus.

The premise of the Mystery Box is that the contestants must create a restaurant quality dish in under 60 minutes with only the ingredients underneath the box and select pantry necessities (flour, eggs, sugar, lemons, spices, etc). Unlike in other shows such as Chopped, contestants may use as little or as many ingredients.

I wanted to see what I was capable of doing in the kitchen. I’ve been cooking for years now, and I’ve tried my hands at a number of dishes but I wanted to see if I was truly up to the mark.  And so I had my sister create a box for me. I told her to make sure to put things that could potentially pair well in all different combinations of sweet, salty, sour, savory. Well this is the box that she came up with –

 

It’s by no means a nightmare, but I can’t lie – the cereal did throw me off.

I was filming this on snap (I have a penchant for being attention-seeking on camera) and my friends were watching as each snap came in. I had to deliver.

And so it began. I got my knife ready. The timer started.

I can be quite neurotic in the kitchen. Nobody should get in my way or tell me what to do. Let me do my thing.

I decided to make shrimp tacos. And boy was it a smart choice. Much to my delight, Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal works amazing as a crunchy topping for shrimp! To counter the sweetness of the cereal, I added a little bit of turmeric and chili powder to the mix, then coated the shrimp in egg wash  and then the cereal.

 

The cabbage and papaya are crunchy and pair well together. The pomegranate gives a lovely deep red color and sweetness to the slaw. I then seasoned the slaw with  a simply citrus dressing with orange, red chili, salt, and sugar.

 

I struggled a little bit during the challenge with the dressing. The original plan was to make a peanut flavored aioli. But of course, my aioli was not thickening up and with 5 minutes remaining I poured in some cornstarch which of course made a gunky mess. I threw it out, started over with some peanut butter, oil, lime juice and that made a killer dressing.

I also made home-made tortillas. This challenge was the first time making them, and I was not aware that they consisted of a little bit of baking powder. Additionally, I should have made them less thick. So they came out a little dense. But you live and you learn from your mistakes. Next time, they’ll come out perfectly thin, soft, and pliable.

Sometimes the best dishes come from random ingredients from your fridge and the inner-workings of your mind. The deep-fried shrimp is crunchy and flavorful. The slaw adds an extra crunch and sweet and citrusy. The peanut dressing with lime adds extra flavor. All in all, this is an awesome taco that is sure to please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 from 1 vote
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Deep Fried Shrimp Tacos with Papaya Pomegranate Slaw and Peanut Dressing

A taco consisting of deep-fried shrimp, a citrus-y slaw made of papaya, cabbage, pomegranate, and a peanut and chili dressing.

Servings 8 tacos

Ingredients

  • 7-10 flour tortillas

Shrimp

  • 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined; about 21-25 shrimp)
  • 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats Almond Cereal
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2-2.5 cups vegetable/canola/peanut oil

Papaya-Pomegranate Slaw

  • 3/4 cups cabbage (shredded)
  • 3/4 cups papaya (shredded)
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper diced (may substitute with orange or yellow)
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
  • 1 small red chilie (optional)
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3/4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Peanut Dressing

  • 1.5 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar

Instructions

  1. Start by making your slaw. Shred your cabbage and papaya with either your knife or food processor. Chop your bell pepper into a small dice. Add in your pomegranate seeds.

  2. Now make the dressing for the slaw. Combine orange juice, salt, sugar, chili and mix. Add to the slaw. Taste and adjust salt and sugar.

  3. Now make your peanut dressing. Slowly add in the oil to the peanut butter and whisk. Add lime juice, chili powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk until uniform.

  4. In a food processor grind up your cereal until it resembles the size and texture of breadcrumbs. (You may also do this in a ziploc bag, by pounding it repeatedly on some hard surface.)

  5. Add the chili powder, turmeric, and salt to the cereal mix. Put aside in one bowl.

  6. In another bowl, whisk an egg. Set aside.

  7. If you haven't already done so, peel and devein your shrimp. Take a shrimp and with one hand, dip it into the egg mixture. Then coat the shrimp in the cereal mixture. Repeat this step until all shrimp are coated.

  8. Fill up to an inch or two of a heavy-bottom pot or wok  vegetable/canola/peanut oil. Allow it to reach a temperature of approximately 375 F.

  9. Add a handful of shrimp at a time into the oil and fry until golden brown. The shrimp will only take 1-2 minutes to cook.

  10. Time to assemble. Take your flour tortilla, add your slaw, then your shrimp, and lastly the peanut dressing. Serve with lime wedges.

Kheer

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Kheer is such an unbelievably simple and modest dessert, yet elegant enough to be served at weddings and other festivities.

Unlike western-style rice puddings that usually contains regular white rice, kheer is made with basmati rice – a traditional choice which gives a lovely scent and mouth-watering aroma. The basmati rice is soaked until translucent, then grinded or pulverized until the grains are broken into smaller pieces. This step ensures that your kheer has wonderful texture that doesn’t feel as though you are merely eating cooked rice in milk (which in my opinion is a major turn-off).

The rice is then cooked in milk; you can of course do different variations of this. If you want to keep this vegan, feel free to opt for almond milk, and if you also want a subtly different flavor profile feel free to use coconut milk (which is what I use here) – it’s a fun choice!

To pack extra body into the kheer, I add a little bit of home-made almond paste. I blanch some almonds, remove the skins and pulverize them in a grinder with some water until they are liquid. I add this to the kheer once the rice is almost finished cooking and stir until all the flavors come together.

Lastly, I stir in some cardamom and a splash of rose water and garnish with some chopped pistachios. And there you have it! A traditional, comfort dish that is sure to please at any festivity or week-night gathering.

 

 

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Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup basmati rice
  • 1/3 cup almonds (blanched and peeled)
  • 2 cups milk feel free to substitute with a can of coconut milk
  • 2.5 cups water
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
  • 1 splash rosewater (optional)
  • 3 tbsp chopped pistachios/almonds for garnish
  • 1.5 tsp cardamom powder

Instructions

  1. Wash the basmati rice in cold water until water runs clear. Soak in a cup of water for a few hours or overnight.

  2. If you are using whole almonds, soak them overnight as well. Then peel the skins off with a spoon.

  3. Using a powerful food processor or grinder, grind the almonds until with a few tablespoons of water until liquid in order to make an almond paste.

  4. Remove and separately grind the rice until it resembles the texture of wet sand. (Grains should be cut into small pieces, but not completely liquefied.)

  5. In a high-sided pot, add in your water. Bring to a boil.

  6. Now add in your rice and allow it to cook. This should take about 10-15 minutes.

  7. Now add in your milk (coconut and regular). Stir frequently and reduce to low heat. Let mixture thicken for about 20 minutes.

  8. Add in sugar. Stir and taste. If you want it more sweet, just add in more sugar.


  9. Stir in your cardamom and rose water. Garnish with pistachios and almonds.

Chicken Koobideh Kabob

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I’ve been to a few local Iranian restaurants in my life, watched the one episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain visits Tehran – (much to his surprise finds it a beautiful country with a lot of life and hospitality), and perused a few Persian cook-books when visiting the library. So, therefore, I’m an expert.

I’m kidding, guys.

While my experience with Iranian cuisine is pretty limited, I know for a fact that this country indeed has a rich culinary history that ought to be celebrated and appreciated in the mainstream.

Koobideh kabobs are made from ground meat, shaped on long metal skewers, and cooked over a wood-fire grill.

These kabobs are juicy. And they give you the perfect excuse to fire up the grill! If it’s winter do not panic, you can still make these on your indoor grill and they’ll still be tasty!

 

For the kabobs I use a series of basic yet wholesome aromatics – onion, garlic, parsley. I season the kabobs with turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, and of course – saffron! The saffron is the integral ingredient here – a must-have for any Iranian meat or rice dish.

 

 

Go ahead and make a platterful of these for your next dinner party along with some lovely pollo (rice), and your guests are sure to be super-impressed!

 

 

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Chicken Koobideh Kabob

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground chicken
  • 1.5 small onion
  • 1 handful parsley
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 5-6 strands saffron (soaked in 1tbsp water)
  • 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, grind the onions, parsley, and garlic until finely minced.

  2. Add aromatics and spices to your ground chicken mixture. (For the saffron, make sure you soak the strands in a tablespoon of hot water. Add this to the chicken.) Combine well. Do not add salt just yet, it will get watery if you do! (If you do not have ground chicken, you can always make your own by taking boneless meat and grinding it in the food processor.)

  3. Let mixture sit in the fridge for at least an hour or ideally overnight.

  4. Once ready to grill, take out from fridge and let mixture sit until it reaches room temperature. Add salt and combine.


  5. Take a small bowl of water and put it to the side. Shape the kabobs to your liking. If using an outdoor grill, shape kabobs onto long metallic skewers. If using indoor grill, simply shape into long sticks. 


  6. Grill on both sides until they develop color. This should take a few minutes.

  7. Serve hot with grilled chilies and lemons!