As necessity is the mother of culinary innovation, I just MacGyvered a new curry for dinner and it is surprisingly tasty. I was craving the coconut curry sauce from last week’s Lunar New Year party, but lacking some vital ingredients, I got creative with what I could find around the house (ok, really just around the kitchen). What I ended up with was a scrumptious and spicy pineapple coconut shrimp curry. Oddly, this pairs well with Orange Fanta, but a dry white wine would be nice as well.

2 tablespoons oil
3 large shallots, diced *
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, but good if you like spicy)
1 red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed and julienned
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, ribbed and diced
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained *
1 14 ounce can coconut milk *
1-2 cups medium size, raw shrimp
1 lime, juiced and zested

* items that everyone should always have on hand, but so few people do.

1. In a stir-fry or other large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering over medium high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until soft.
2. Add all but the last three ingredients and stir fry 3-4 minutes more before adding the coconut milk.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes to reduce.
4. While curry simmers, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in another pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook two minutes on each side, then add to the shrimp to the curry and remove from heat.
5. Finish sauce with lime juice, serve over rice noodles and garnish with zest, but not too much zest.

The dinner party went off without a hitch, other than my being chained to the stove more than half the night. That was to be expected and my kitchen is open to the main party room, so I got to visit with all 18 guests as they munched and mingled. Several friends also stopped into the kitchen to lend a hand with stuffing wontons, stirring sauces, wrapping spring rolls and washing dishes.

What I served:

Shrimp and pork potstickers
Crab Mangoon
Vietnamese spring rolls
OMG ribs

Noodles: glass, rice and egg
Sauces: Peanut Sauce, Coconut Curry, Asian Pesto
Veggies: snap peas, cucumbers, beets, carrots, broccolis, tofu, peppers, sprouts, mushrooms
Seasoning: Sriracha, soy, hoisin, chili paste, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil
Toppings: sesame seeds, scallion, lime wedges, cilantro, mint, basil, peanuts
Meat: rare, thinly sliced beef

Oranges
Wonton Cannolis filled with Haupia and mango caviar
Ginger bacon cookies

Special thanks to TSB and her lovely roommate for secretly cleaning my apartment while I was working at the museum Saturday.

It’s easy, it’s traditional, and it’s delicious. My only concern is that, like a cornstarch-thickened gravy, it’s hard to get out all the lumps.

1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
Vanilla (I scraped out about 1/5 of a bean, but I would guess that a few drops or a 1/4 teaspoon extract would do the trick)

1. Whisk together all ingredients in saucepan over low heat, whisking occasionally until thickened.
2. Chill.

2 pounds bok choy
2 pounds pork, finely chopped (almost to the point of looking like ground meat)
1 pound raw, shelled shrimp, finely chopped
1 small can water chestnuts, ¼ inch dice
1 small can bamboo shoots, ¼ inch dice
6 scallions, cut to ¼ inch rings
3 shallots, fine dice
2 large carrots, shredded
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, fine dice
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 cup panko flakes (optional)
1 package Wonton wrappers
2 cups chicken broth

1. Combine all but last three ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
2. Put a couple of drops of cooking oil in a large, hot sauté pan and add 1 tablespoon filling. Stir fry until cooked through and taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly. If filling is very wet or loose, or on a whim, add ½ to 1 cup panko flakes.
3. Lay out several rows of wontons, and place a round tablespoon of filling on each.
4. Wet one finger (no, not with spit) and moisten the outside edge of the wonton, then fold it in half to make a triangle and pinch along the edges to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
5. Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottom sauté pan, and fill with dumplings, being sure they don’t touch. Once golden brown, flip the dumplings and brown the other side.
6. Add ½ cup broth to the pan, keeping in mind that if the dumplings didn’t absorb enough, you are essentially pouring water into hot oil, which is dangerous and stupid…but no recipe devoid of danger and stupidity could ever be as fun.
7. Shake pan back and forth until all dumplings slide freely, then cover. Shake occasionally and wait until the broth has reduced to the consistency of maple syrup.
8. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked, keeping them in a warm oven until all are ready to serve.

4 pounds pork spareribs, separated
¾ cup soy sauce
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
8 scallions, roughly diced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon orange zest
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Combine ribs, ½ cup soy sauce, ½ of the ginger, scallions and fennel in a large pot. Add water to cover. Cover and simmer until cooked through, 20-30 minutes.
2. Cool to room temperature in cooking liquid, then drain, or just refrigerate covered, in the liquid overnight.
3. Combine ¼ cup soy sauce, remaining ginger, broth, syrup, zest and garlic in a wok or large skillet over high heat and cook down to thicken (5-7 minutes).
4. Add ribs and stir-fry about 5 minutes until ribs are coated in a thick glaze.
Note: Alternately, follow steps 1, 2 and 3 but brush the sauce onto the ribs as a glaze on a hot grill.

15 Rice paper rounds
½ cup Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
3 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1 pound firm tofu, cut into ½ inch thick spears and flash fried
or 1 pound shrimp, cooked and shelled, or ½ pound of each
1 large carrot, shredded long (cut lengthwise into strips almost to the top, then use a peeler along cut side to make long shreds)
1 medium cucumber, seeded, long julienne
1 fist-full of romaine Lettuce (I haven’t decided how much lettuce to use)
2 or 3 Scallions, cut into long ribbons
1 cup cooked rice stick noodles
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup mint leaves

1. Soak the rice paper in warm water until soft but not limp. Layer between damp paper towels and set aside.
2. Mix hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste and peanuts in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Right before serving, combine 1/15 of the remaining ingredients on each of the sheets of rice paper, roll like a burrito and cut in half at a diagonal. Serve cold with sauce for dipping.

Peanut Sauce

1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Sriracha
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 cup veggie (chicken if you aren’t feeding vegetarians) broth
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped

1. Mix all ingredients.

Asian Pesto Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup Thai basil
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup scallion
1 green chile, seeded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper.

1. Combine in blender.
2. Blend.

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, diced
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
1 14-ounce san coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1. Add oil to large pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic, stir-fry until softened.
2. Add all but the last three ingredients and fry 2 to 3 minutes more, until aromatic.
3. Add last three ingredients and simmer to thicken, about ten minutes.