I have cooked this dish with a food which is always used to symbolize happiness. Yes, it is shrimp 蝦, a word we pronounce as ‘ha’ in our language.
The Chinese New Year is approaching in a few days, on January 23. Taking an advantage of this cooked Shrimp Casserole, may I wish you a prosperous Year of Dragon and always ‘ha ha siu 哈哈笑’ – smiling happily.
In the traditional Chinese recipe of 粉絲蝦煲, bean threads (aka vermicelli or glass noodles) and shrimps are time-honored pairing. Here I have introduced dangmyeon, in place of bean threads, to the partnership. The replacement doesn’t disappoint me, it just ‘sucks’ much flavors as the old partner did.
Yet, be it the Chinese or Korean noodles, they both will turn too soft if sitting too long in a hot broth. Avoiding such does not have to be complex; simply no over-cooking will do.
Before cooking shrimps with noodles in a clay pot, I fried them in a wok because that would help brown them evenly. If your pot or casserole could do the same, just cook all ingredients from step one without the need of transferring.
I believe most, if not all, casserole dishes are best to be served hot. This one is no exception, and repeat, do eat the noodles before they turn too soft and lose their chewiness.
- Ingredients
- 6 frozen shrimps, ~150g, thaw thoroughly
- 80g Korean sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)
- 4-5 shallots, skinned and halved
- 2 sprigs coriander, chopped
- a few pieces lettuce, optional
- 1 tsp white wine
- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil
- ~ 1 tbsp corn starch paste (corn starch : water = 1 : 2 tsp)
- Broth
- 3/4 – 1 cup stock (I use dashi)
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- Marinades for shrimps
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch of ground white pepper
Method
Soak sweet potato noodles in cold water for about half an hour, or until soft. Drain, scissor them into sections if too long.
Rinse thawed shrimps, trim off feet and sharp end of the shrimp heads by using a scissor.
To devein a shrimp, scissor (or use a knife to cut) its shell along the back from the head end to the tail end. Then, use the tip of your knife (or a toothpick) to take out the black vein that runs along the center of the back. Rinse the deveined shrimps under cold running water to remove further dirts. Pat dry.
Marinade shrimps for about half an hour (better to keep them in fridge).
Heat wok (or skillet) over medium heat with oil, sauté shallots until brown and fragrant.
Gently lay shrimps flat in wok. As the down sides turn pink, about a minute, flip and fry the other side the same way.
Cook till shrimps are just opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side when you shall also smell their aromas float, sprinkle wine (I used Tianjin Meiguilu Chiew 玫瑰露酒) along sides of wok near the shrimps.
Dish up shrimps when done, leave shallots and any excess oil in wok (you may lower heat to avoid rushing or burning). Add in coriander, stir well broth and pour in. Bring it to a boil.
Drop noodles into the broth. While they simmer again, transfer to a casserole (mine is a clay pot), add in shrimps. Give them a brief boil, about half to one minute, then thicken with well-mixed corn starch paste. Stir well. Add lettuce toward the end if using.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Note:
You may cook the same way with bean threads if not using sweet potato noodles.
- Category: Shrimp .
- 13 comments
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your casserole looks festive and luxurious. wishing you and loved ones 龙年快乐!
I love ‘ha’ and this looks perfect to serve on the Chinese New Year’s day 🙂
恭喜发财！
Happy Chinese New Year tastehongkong! This casserole looks amazing! Your pictures look amazing as usual!
I’ve never used those Korean noodles but for Jap Chae, what a great idea :)! Happy Chinese New Year by the way :)!
Yes…prawns for laughter, which means happiness. This is happiness in a pot casserole. Happy Chinese New Year!
Does that look like a little piece ginger in the foto? Should that be included or an option? Thanks! Just a little pointer that I recently learned to use…..easiest marinade for seafood is a dash of cooking sake (or the drinking type if that is all there is) which costs abt USD2 around here.
these korean noodles look very much like the glass noodles, have not tried them before, thanks for introducing this! wishing you a very happy and prosperous dragon year!
@Chris,
That little browned thing in the photo is shallot. I’m sorry that I have missed it out in the ingredient list, but it is now reverted. Thanks for writing to clarify.
Agree, sake also helps me make dishes like this, this and this.
Excuse me for my delayed reply.
What a delicious dish! I’ve not come across dangmyeon, but I would expect they are tasty. Happy year of the Dragon! Thank you for the culture you bring to my reading and cooking!
Happy Chinese New Year! I bet this is delicious!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
This shrimp casserole looks really good for winter!
Gong Hei Fatt Choy!
I love these noodles but they can be super filling.
This looks wonderful. I stumbled upon your blog from tastespotting. I’ll subscribe. Feel free to pop over and visit sometime. Thanks for sharing xx