sinabawang hipon with alugbati leaves

Still have remaining 13 medium shrimps in the freezer and a handful of alugbati leaves. With that, I prepared shrimp soup... mmmmmm... so nice to sip the soup. The alugbati leaves enhanced the flavor of the soup. Hehehe... The alugbati leaves were given to us by Mommy Sue when we visited them a week ago I think. I wrapped it in a plastic and we forgotten all about it since it was place under the vegetable bin. Hehehe... When I was looking for something to add to my shrimp soup, I saw the plastic and there it was, the alugbati leaves. Good thing most of it are still in good condition (not wilted, not yet yet spoiled, not yet discolored).


I don't know what's gotten in to me, I wanted to share a little something about alugbati... Alugbati leaves (malabar spinach in English) is common in our homeland, Cebu, Philippines. It easily grows anywhere with very little supervision needed. Not only the leaves but also the stem and the seeds can be eaten as well. It is an excellent source of antioxidants and a good source of vitamins A, B, and C, calcium and iron. It is also a good source of roughage (fiber) and it's easy to digest. It can also be prepared/cooked with other vegetables and meat or just as is (just sauteed lightly in oil with garlic and onion).

Alugbati also has medicinal uses. "Roots are employed as rubefacient. Poultice of leaves used to reduce local swelling. Sap is applied to acne eruptions to reduce inflammation. Decoction of leaves used for its mild laxative effects. Pulped leaves applied to boils and ulcers to hasten suppuration. Sugared juice of leaves useful for catarrhal afflictions. Leaf-juice, mixed with butter, is soothing and colling when applied to burns and scalds. In Ayurveda, used for hemorrhages, skin diseases, sexual weakness, ulcers and as laxative in children and pregnant women. In Nigeria, use for fertility enhancement in women."* However, the source said these are folkloric only but I hope these are for real.

Now here's a recipe with alugbati. Very easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients:
13 medium shrimps
1 thumb-sized ginger, sliced
1 small onion, quartered
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
spring onion, separate white part from green part
a handful alugbati leaves
4 cups water
1/2 shrimp broth cube
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Boil water with ginger, onion, white part of spring onion and broth cube. Then add the shrimp and tomato. Boil for 1-2 minutes or just until the shrimp turned orange.

Add salt and pepper and the alugbati leaves. Turn off the heat after 1 minute.

Serve hot.

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Alugbati photo and * from www.stuartxchange.org

shrimp in oyster sauce

Kim went to the grocery yesterday and he was able to buy shrimps. I super miss shrimp with oyster sauce. It's been a couple of months... or longer that I was able to prepare this. Before I used frozen shrimps so I didn't took a photo of it. Now this is much better. I like the sauce penetrating the shrimp specially the heads. Hehehe... Donna taught me this recipe and I liked it from the very first time I cooked it. This is quick and easy to prepare and yummy, too. I think I cooked this in less than 5 minutes...

Ingredients:
12 medium sized shrimps
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup oyster sauce
peper to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter

Procedure:
In a wok, heat oil and butter. Saute garlic and onion until aromatic.

Add in the shrimps and cook just until it turned orange about 2-3 minutes.

Then add the oyster sauce and mix until all shrimps are fully coated with sauce, about 1 minute. Season with crushed pepper. (I prefer not to add salt since oyster sauce is a bit salty already for me)

Turn off the heat and sprinkle with chopped onion leaves (the green part only).

I love this over steamed rice and I usually put the rice in the wok after transferring the shrimp in a plate. I coat my rice with the remaining sauce in the wok... yummy... Hehehe...

squash - beans - shrimp guinataan

still another variations of squash-beans love team. this time with shrimp and coconut cream.

ingredients:
2 cups frozen shrimp, thawed¹
3 cups squash, cut into cubes
2 cups string beans, sliced in to 2" long
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 thumb-sized ginger, sliced

1 cup coconut cream
salt and pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

procedure:
season shrimp with salt and pepper. heat oil in a wok and saute shrimp until cooked, about 2 minutes. drain and set aside.

in the same wok saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant.

add squash and cook for 3-5 minutes. then add the coconut cream and let boil to release it's oil and until squash is cooked.

add the beans and shrimp. season with salt and pepper and taste according to your preference.

cook for another 1-2 minutes.

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¹ you can use fresh shrimp or prawns.

² i used canned coconut cream but you can also use fresh coconut cream which is the first extraction.

shrimp - mushroom stir fry

category: main dish
serving: 6

when i was in the grocery buying frozen chicken parts i saw this packs and lots of packs of different sizes os ahrimps. the smaller frozen shrimps caught my attention and i grabbed one. i thought of mixing it withsome vegetables.

i did cook it with mushroom. in cooking, shrimp only takes a few minutes to cook, let's say 4-5 minutes. shrimps have the tendency to hardened and get tough when eaten if it is overcooked.

ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp. ginger, julienned
1 cup small frozen shrimps, thawed
1/3 cup canned button mushroom, quartered
1 small carrots, sliced thinly
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 tnsp. butter
salt
fresh ground black pepper
lemon juice

procedure:
in a bowl, season the shrimp with salt, pepper and juice of half the lemon. mix well and set aside.

in a pan, heat butter and saute garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant.

add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. then add the mushroom and stir for another minute.

then add the carrot and cabbage. season with salt and pepper. stir fry for another minute until the vegetables are cooked but still crispy.

shrimp tempura

category: main dish, appetizer
serving: 6-8

a few months ago, my husband bought large shrimps in our souk ("market" here in uae). i immediately cleaned some to make shrimp tempura. i discarded the heads, shelled and deveined the shrimps. instead of using japanese breadcrumbs, i used crushed cornflakes... a different alternative, huh?

ingredients:
12-16 large shrimps, shelled, deveined, discard heads
3 sachets (6 gm) garlic seasoning mix
1 tsp. pepper powder
1 lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups flour
2 cups cornflakes, crushed
cooking oil for deep-frying

procedure:
mix together the garlic seasoning mix, pepper powder and juice of 1 lemon. add the shrimp to the seasoning mix and mix well. leave for a few minutes in the refrigerator so that the shrimps would absorb the seasoning.

prepare the breading station: put the flour on a bowl. next to it, place the bowl of the lightly beaten eggs. and next to the eggs, place the bowl of crushed cornflakes.

drain the shrimps well, discard the liquid. dredge each shrimp in the flour, dust off excess flour. then dip in the eggs, then in the cornflakes; making sure shrimps are well coated with the cornflakes.

deep fry until crisp and golden. drain on paper towel.

serve with your fave sauce or dressing.

shrimp in oyster sauce

category: main dish
servings: 4-6

again, i have to thank donna for sharing to me this recipe. i just revised it a bit to fit to my own tastebuds and that of kim... hehehe... i made it a bit spicy since kim is a spicy person. so, it's a combination of sweet, salty and spicy.

the outcome came out as i expected it to be although it would be much better if i used fresh and not frozen shrimp... and shrimp with skin on since it would be much tastier and juicier. as for the cooking, do not overcook the shrimp as it gets tough and rubbery when overcooked. kim liked it... yehey!!!... hehehe...

ingredients:
500 gm. frozen medium shrimp, thawed
1 cup sprite/7-up
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. chili sauce
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cooking oil

directions:
boil shrimp with sprite/7-up.

when the liquid has evaporated, add oil and butter. then add the garlic and ginger. fry until garlic has turned brown but not burned.

add the oyster sauce, chili sauce and season with salt and pepper. mix well until shrimp are fully coated with the sauce.

serve hot with rice.