蒜蓉粉条虾
My very unusual take (with some pretty nonstandard methods) on a traditional Chinese recipe. It's not every day that you see a recipe that actually features shrimp heads, but that's essentially what this is. Shrimp heads contain an oil that is so incredibly flavorful and delicious, and goes really well with vermicelli noodles. You can't go wrong with the combination of soy sauce, garlic, and shrimp head oil.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min
Ingredients
> Shrimp (with head)
> Vermicelli noodles
> Garlic
> Soy sauce, oil
Instructions
1. Prep: Peel and devein shrimp. Separate the shrimp heads from the body. Peel and roughly chop garlic. Heat up water in a steamer over medium heat.
2. First boil the vermicelli noodles for around 7-10 minutes in the water. Remove and arrange at the bottom of a somewhat deep plate.
3. Arrange shrimp heads over the vermicelli noodles. Steam for around 8-10 minutes.
4. Arrange shrimp bodies over the plate, and steam for around 2-5 more minutes. Remove once the shrimps are fully cooked through.
5. In the meantime, heat up oil in a pan. Fry the garlic until aromatic (however, you don't want to get too much color on them). Turn off the heat, and add some soy sauce. Then pour the entire mixture over the shrimp and vermicelli. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Make sure to use the thick vermicelli noodles (粉条, not 粉丝). I prefer thicker noodles in general, and I think they achieve a much better texture for this recipe.
> Under no circumstances should you make this recipe with headless shrimp. Shrimp heads contain a particular deep-red oil that lends this dish its incredible savory flavor. Steaming the shrimp heads will allow these oils to escape from the head and permeate into the vermicelli noodles.
> It's important to pre-boil the vermicelli noodles, because they will generally take much longer to cook than the shrimp themselves.