Recipe: Thai Shrimp Fritters

I *love* seafood. I also *love* Thai flavours. When I came by a recipe in one of my cookbooks for a "Lemongrass & Shrimp Pop", I decided to try it.

I had some leftover lemongrass, and also some nice firm shrimp in the freezer, and so I adapted the recipe and tried it out.



Ingredients
300g shrimp (I used about 16 shrimp, in the 21-25 size range), coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander seed
2-3 green onions, chopped coarsely
1" of ginger, peeled & sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 t Sambal Oolek
1 t fish sauce
Cornstarch
2-3 stalks of lemongrass, cut into 4" sections
Canola oil for frying



Method
In a blender or food processor, grind coriander seed. Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and pulse until finely chopped. Add shrimp, sambal oolek, and fish sauce, and process until a paste forms. You will need to scrape down the processor / blender walls several times.

With wet hands, form the shrimp paste onto the lemongrass stalks, or, if unavailable, thin patties. Dredge in cornstarch and set aside.

When all the mixture has been formed, heat a pot of canola oil over medium heat (ensure that your pot or wok is deep enough - the pot should only be at 1/3 full to prevent a fire hazard!) to 375ºF or until a small bread cube dropped in the oil sizzles and turn golden.

Fry the patties or shrimp pops until nicely golden on the outside, about 4-5 minutes.

Drain on paper towels and serve with a sweet chili sauce!

Review: Cactus Club (Bentall 5, Downtown Vancouver, BC)

Met up with some old high school friends for cocktails and catching up last weekend.

There was too much booze!



That being said, I also apologize for the quality of the photos. I *swear* they looked focused and beautiful that night!

The first time I tried to go to the "new" Cactus Club on Burrard and Pender, we got there too late after a comedy show at Yuk Yuk's and we ended up going somewhere else. What a pity, we thought - it had such a good location, with a nice large patio!

So on the night in question, we decided on either Joey's or Cactus - neither takes reservations on Saturday nights, so it was first come, first served.

The location was great - near skytrain and in the heart of downtown, with a mindset for attracting customers from the business area during the weekdays, and the party crowd on weekends. The plus was the large patio - it was set off from the street, so it wasn't dusty or noisy at all!

We ordered a round of appetizers, some entrees to share, and a couple rounds of drinks.

I started out with the tuna tataki - sadly, Cactus discontinued their tuna poke half a year ago - that was my favourite dish!!! While the tuna tataki was pretty to look at and delicious (after you drained / squeezed it of soy), it was no substitute for the tuna poke. Bring back the tuna poke!!



I took the next photo to demonstrate just how much soy was left over after finishing the dish. There was too much of it for my liking. bleeh.



The photo at the beginning of the post is the trio of westcoast pockets. I've always wanted to try these, M ordered them - he said they were delicious and I have to agree! A touch on the expensive side though - the three pockets were about $12. For that price, I think they were a little stingey.



Above: We also shared a plate of calamari. 'Twas good. You can't go wrong with calamari! I downed my appys with some margaritas, as they were on special on Saturday night.

...K also enjoyed some margaritas with me. I'm sure the lime margarita went well with his beef carpaccio?



Meanwhile, the other K had the spicy chicken with sweet chili sauce. After a couple rounds of drinks, M had a burger, K & S shared a quesadilla, and the other K had the sablefish. Chef Feenie always adds his magical touch to everything - everyone finished their food!

We even shared two desserts - the cheesecake, and a chocolate peanut butter bar. I *loved* the choco pb bar. I'm going to have to try making it at home. *stay tuned*

In all, it was a nice night - the weather was cooperative and it was a great night to sit and lounge on the patio. Even if we did drink too much and not remember much. ;) Here's to summertime...



Cactus Club Cafe (Bentall 5)

588 Burrard Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-682-0933

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival!

Prepare for delicous food and spectacular wines! The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival is coming to Vancouver on March 23rd to 29th!



I found a surprise in my mailbox last evening. The Playhouse Internation Wine Festival program!

I went to Salud Chile, an event held at O'douls downtown with M last year and had a great time. I think it made me really appreciate Chilean wines, and I found a couple favourites that I would have never tried! Plus there were a lot of great foods - raw oysters, deliciously fresh and piquant ceviche, an assortment of cheeses, fruits, and crackers, dungeness crab ravioli, seared beef and chicken skewers, and lots of hors d'oevres were being passed.

We're debating whether we should go back to the same event (we are foodies and not winos at heart!), or to a different venue. We're definately not going to the formal wine tastings, I think the food events are just more fun and social.

Are you going to any events this year?