Recipe - Thai Barbecued Stuffed Prawns

16 To 20 bamboo skewers,
8inches or longer
One half teaspoon Chopped fresh coriander
roots *
One fourth teaspoon Black peppercorns
2 Garlic cloves, peeled
One half teaspoon Sugar
pn Salt
2 teaspoon Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tablespoon Coarsely chopped coriander
leaves
One fourth pound Ground chicken, or
moderately fatty ground
pork
1 pound Jumbo prawns (16 to 20 per
pound) with the shell
Vegetable oil for barbecuing

SWEET AND SOUR CUCUMBER SALA
4 tablespoon White vinegar
4 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoon Water
One half Cucumber, peeled and thinly
cut or sliced up
1 teaspoon Dried shrimp powder with
chili (optional)
One half tablespoon Fish sauce (nam pla)
2 teaspoon Fresh coriander leaves,
minced

* (if not available, use the stems)

Here's my first attempt at scanning recipes using my new OCR stuff.
Not bad. It just took me about three times as long to diddle with
the scanned image as it would have to type it in... Ah well,
practice makes perfect. ;}

In Thai cooking, a pounded paste fresh coriander roots, black pepper
corns and garlic makes a popular and useful spice mixture. This Thai
triospice paste is used in the same way as Italian pesto to season
stuffings, smear over meats as a marinade, or saute in oil to flavor
stirfried dishes. In this recipe, it serves to flavor the stuffing.

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

Keep the coriander bunch tied together and rinse it in a pan of cold
water by dunking it up and down to dislodge the sand. Drain
thoroughly and spin dry in a lettuce drier. Cut off the roots,
including about 1 inch of the stem above the root; chop coarsely and
set aside.

To make the spice paste, pound the pepper corns in a mortar, or grind
in a spice mill Add the garlic, coriander roots, sugar and salt;
pound or grind into a smooth paste.

Combine the spice paste, fish sauce, coriander leaves and chicken.

Mix well.

To devein and butterfly the prawns, make a One half inch deep cut through
the shell along the back with kitchen scissors.Pull out the black
vein (the alimentary canal). Rinse prawns under cold running water
and dry thoroughly.

Starting from the tail end, thread the prawns lengthwise onto the
skewers, ending at the head end. Spread open the 1/2inch deep cut
and stuff with about a teaspoonful of chicken paste; smooth the
surface.

Repeat with remaining prawns.

Lightly brush prawns with oil. Grill over a mediumhot fire for 1 to
2 minutes on each side, or until they turn bright orange and feel
firm to the touch. They may also be broiled. Serve with SweetSour
Cucumber Salad.

SWEET AND SOUR CUCUMBER SALAD:

Combine the vinegar, sugar , salt and water in a small bowl; stir
until sugar and salt dissolve. Put the cucumber slices in a shallow
bowl, sprinkle with shrimp powder and fish sauce, then pour in the
sweet vinegar to cover. Top with coriander leaves.

Makes 8 servings.

San Francisco Chronicle, 10/14/92.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; October 18 1992.

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip