A Fusion of Italian and Thai

Today the kids weaseled their way into having dinner at a neighbor's house.  They wanted to have friends over, but apparently the idea of having some sort of shrimp dish was not appealing to them.  That worked out in my favor since I was in the mood to experiment in the kitchen,  but NOT in the mood to find an alternative meal for the kids.

I was in a weird mood.  I wanted Italian seafood rice, but I also wanted something with an Asian flair.  I combined the two and made a Shrimp Tom Yum Risotto.

The Ingredients

Ingredients:
Tablespoon of olive oil
10 shrimp (defrosted, peeled, and deveined)
1/4 cup of diced onion
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cans of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of Tom Yum soup mix
1/2 cup of Arborio Rice
Julienned carrot (I have a julienne peeler by The Pampered Chef that does the trick)
1 green onion, sliced
Fresh Basil

Saute your shrimp in the EVOO just until cooked.  Do not overcook!  They won't be tender.  Obviously there are more than ten shrimp in this pan.  I sauteed some plain shrimp for Hyland's dinner.  Once shrimp are cooked, remove from pan and set aside.  Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a separate pan.

Drizzle a little more EVOO into the pan and gently saute the onions and garlic just until they are soft.  Add your risotto and stir fry for a few minutes.  Add a tablespoon of the Tom Yum mix (it's a concoction of lemon grass, red chili, onion, galangal (a type of ginger root), and soya bean oil) and incorporate into the rice.

Mix Tom Yum into the rice

Start ladling your stock into the rice, about half a cup at a time.  Keep stirring!  It's time to add another ladle of stock once the liquid has been absorbed.  Continue this process until your rice is cooked.  You do not want mushy rice!

Don't stop stirring!

This whole process will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how much rice you are cooking.  Right before my last ladle of stock, I threw the shrimp back in along with the carrots, green onion, and basil.

The dish is ready once the liquid is absorbed.  Your rice should not be mush, but not "crunchy."  A good risotto will have a bite to it.  Remove the pan from the heat, but let it sit in the pan for a minute or two.  Then you're ready to serve.

Don't forget your toppings!

If I had planned this menu ahead of time, I would have made sure to have some mushroom, cilantro, and lime on hand.  Taste wise, it was exactly what I was looking for.  A good fusion of Italian and Thai.

This weekend I hope to share some of my scrapbooking projects I've been working on as of late!  Have a great weekend!