Easy dinner recipes and shortcuts are worth their weight in gold. Especially one that can produce something as scrumptious as these Spicy Asian Popcorn Shrimp Bao Buns for a regular weeknight dinner. Long and stressful days, hungry kids, impatient spouses are no match for this quick weeknight dinner with a distinct Asian flair. Is it a sandwich? Is it a taco? Is it Chinese takeaway? You wouldn’t believe how much flavor can be packed into these little guys with minimal effort. I’ve been ridiculously busy lately while working on a big project, that I’ve been neglecting dinner. The end result is just blah on a plate for dinner. Bland and boring. I decided to change that last week and added a couple of frozen goods to my shopping list that I knew would help me make something amazing for our weeknight dinners without hassle. Enter, SeaPak® Popcorn Shrimp! This is a true life-saver for anyone who is short on time but long on wanting a flavor-packed, healthier meal. I got the SeaPak® popcorn shrimp and butterfly shrimp that can be cooked in the oven in just a few minutes! These are a great dinner solution for busy nights, and with a little bit of creativity, you can get restaurant-quality meals like this one on the table in just 15-20 minutes. Besides the popcorn and butterfly shrimp, SeaPak® has a range of options for your seafood favorites, and these products are responsibly sourced, and have been tried and tested and loved for over 60 years. These popcorn shrimp are baked in the oven, then tossed in a beautifully spicy Asian sauce (which also comes together in a matter of minutes), and then served inside Chinese bao buns (or even slider buns) with crunchy carrots and spring onions. The result is these amazingly easy spicy Asian popcorn shrimp bao or sliders (I usually have both bao buns and slider buns in my freezer for emergencies). As the popcorn shrimp get baked to perfection in the oven, the Asian spice sauce comes together and the carrots and spring onions can be chopped up and the bao buns warmed up. All in just 15 minutes, and you have the rest of the night all to yourself (and these popcorn shrimp bao), to relax with your favorite glass of wine and family. Speaking of… remember how I told you guys in my Red Wine Marinated Grilled Steak Sandwich post about Black Box wines, and how impressed I was with their product for being great value for money with a great taste? This time I got the Black Box Chardonnay, which was a perfect match for this spicy Asian meal. These Black Box wines are a great option for entertaining. I’m a huge fan of these Chinese steamed buns/bao buns, so I actually made my own bao buns for this recipe. I love making them because they are so easy and super versatile. After steaming them, you can wrap them individually and store in the freezer for quick weeknight meals like this. These frozen bao buns can be steamed from frozen in a matter of minutes. This is one instance where frozen does not mean bland, in fact quite the opposite. Besides the crunchy carrot and spring onions that I use to stuff these buns along with those delightful oven-baked shrimp coated in a spicy Asian sauce, you can add things like salad leaves, coleslaw, cucumber etc. and pair these buns with any type of dipping sauce you like (like this sweet and spicy chili sauce). If you liked this spicy Asian popcorn shrimp bao recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
