Shrimp with Scallions and Garlic in Chile Tamari Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving folks! I am sure all of you are busy cooking and having a gala time with friends and family.

We are having some wonderful friends visiting us. And we are also looking forward to having more friends over on the Thanksgiving day. The home and kitchen is buzzing full of love, warmth and aromas; I know yours is too!

I am sure we have all had the time when the heart craves some lip smacking good food, and the limbs give up refusing to budge. It was one weekend, which was meant to be lazy, well planned to stay satisfied with the leftovers. But the gourmand in me did not quite agree to the idea.

The craving struck a high note. Most probably because the leftover was not quite appetizing. Quick stir fry kind of dishes come to the rescue during these times. Fortunately I had everything I needed and I had the Tamari Sauce. Shrimp, scallions, onions and some toasted garlic; it was very easily and quickly done. Spicy, sweet, tangy with plenty of flavor the lunch ended on a happy note.

Organic Wheat free Tamari Sauce : A Review

Annie from Mambo Sprouts send in a box of travel size Organic Wheat-Free Tamari Sauce – a gluten free Soy Sauce. Since I had never used Tamari Sauce before, I readily agreed to do the review.I did this quick Shrimp and Scallion (recipe below) to give the sauce a try.

This Organic Tamari Sauce is quite like Soy Sauce but the fermentation process is different than ordinary soy sauce and this organic Tamari Sauce contains no wheat. (from what I understood while I was reading articles on the web is that all Tamari is not gluten free).

There cannot be a better option for people with wheat allergies. To compare the taste and flavors with a soy sauce, I found the flavors in the Tamari to be more intense than that of the regular soy sauce that I use (the kind popularly available in the Asian aisle of the grocery store. I have not used any traditional soy sauce from Asian stores). I also found the sauce to be a slightly thicker than the soy sauce. Having used the Tamari sauce for the first time, I think I am ready to make a switch from the regular soy sauce to the Tamari. No I do not have any allergies; it is simply because I liked it better than all the soy sauce I have used so far. There are no MSG or preservatives in this sauce.

The flavors of the sauce are deep, rich and smooth and the color is very dark brown. The dish resulted in a delectable one with lovely color and enhanced flavors. I still have a box full of pouches left and this is what I am planning to use the Tamari in –

– stir fries; vegetables, tofu, shrimp or chicken or a combination

– use a few spoons when I cook my brown rice to add some extra flavors

– use as marinade with ginger and garlic ( the sauce paired really well with ginger and garlic in this recipe today)

– cook noodles

– also planning on using them in some recipes with Indian spices

-for  cooking Indo Chinese. I think the Tamari is just right for making the Indo Chinese dishes. The authentic Indian Chinese in India uses a soy sauce which is dark and much more concentrated than the soy sauce that I find here. Even the dark soy sauce is not as dark or thick and the recipes always lacked a flavor. I am assuming from the flavors of the Tamari that the soy sauce is soon to be substituted when I am making Indo Chinese from now on.

Thanks to Mambo Sprouts for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderful product.

Mambo Sprouts features healthy and natural living and they have coupons to print on their site!

Back to the recipe… For a vegetarian version, use Tofu.

Shrimp with Scallions and Garlic in Chile Tamari Sauce

Ingredients:

1. 15 large shrimp, shelled, tail on and de-veined
2. 6-8  stalks of scallions
3. 1.5 teaspoon  ginger, very finely sliced
4. 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
5. 2-3 hot green pepper, like Thai bird – slit
6. 2.5 tablespoons pure black sesame oil (use any cooking oil if sesame oil is not available)
7. 1.5 tablespoon red pepper flakes
8. salt
9. Fried Garlic (recipe follows)
   

For the sauce:

1. 1 teaspoon sugar
   
2. freshly ground pepper
3. 1.5 teaspoons wine vinegar
   
4. 2.5 tablespoons Tamari sauce
5. 1 tablespoon hot sauce, like Sriracha
   

For the Fried Garlic:

1. 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2. 1 tablespoon oil
   
3. salt

Preparation:

To make the fried garlic:

Heat the oil in a small skillet until it shimmers. Add the garlic and cook until the slices begin to get golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Moving ahead…

Sprinkle some salt on the shrimp and let it sit for about 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, wash the shrimp and pat them dry.

Divide the white and green parts of the scallion. Chop the white parts and set aside. Slice the green parts diagonally into 3 inch pieces and set aside.

Cut onion into wedges.

Combine all ingredients of the sauce in a non reactive bowl.

Add oil in a wok. Add the red pepper flakes and let the oil heat up with the pepper.  When the oil is hot and you can feel the heat of the pepper, add the sliced ginger, hot peppers, white parts of the scallion and the onion wedges. Cook briefly for about 2 minutes at high heat while tossing – till the onion just wilts.

Add the shrimp, toss and cook at high till the shrimp turns pink – for about 2-3 minutes. Add the sauce in the bowl and the salt and cook at medium heat till the sauce coats the shrimp. There should be just enough sauce to coat the shrimps a couple tablespoons more. Switch off the heat and add the scallions and the fried garlic. Stir them in and let it sit for about 10 minutes for the flavors to deepen.

Serve with rice.

Definitely delicious and so good that I made it again in a few days time. The toasted garlic and fresh scallions added lovely flavors, quite contrasting, but of so scrumptious with a bowl of warm rice! The ruthless cravings were satisfied.

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This is a honest product review. My reviews were not influenced in any ways by the views of Mambo Sprouts or the product mentioned. Thanks to Mambo Sprouts for this wonderful review opportunity. In accordance with FTC rules, I am disclosing that I received the free product mentioned in the post to provide my opinion and review. This was not a paid endorsement nor have I received any form of compensation to do the review.