Unbelievable flavor and aroma in one amazing little pouch. And very easy to make. You do NOT want to miss out on this one! This meal is all about taste and aroma – and that’s flavor. Incredible flavor! Shrimp and shiitake mushroom, marinated in a ginger, tamarind, lemongrass and cilantro mix and then wrapped in parchment paper and steamed with green tea leaves until perfectly cooked. These Asian-style Steamed Shrimp and Mushroom Parcels are a restaurant-quality meal that you can make in the comfort of your home with minimal hassle. Seriously, these are unbelievably easy to make. Marinate, parcel, steam – that’s it. The steamed shrimp is delicate yet crisp, not at all rubbery or chewy. This is one of our favorite side dish recipes to serve with cooked plain white rice, because oh baby, there’s so much flavor here, you won’t need anything else.
Steamed shrimp
One of my favorite things in the world to eat is perfectly cooked shrimp (or prawns like we call them in NZ and Australia). It’s something I used to eat a lot back in Sri Lanka too, and I’ve got quite a few ways in which I cook shrimp/prawns (like this classic Sri Lankan shrimp curry, szechuan salt and pepper shrimp, garlic lime shrimp, teriyaki shrimp, and even shrimp katsu, and you can see here how I clean shrimp). Spiced and steamed shrimp parcels however is probably my favorite way to cook them. I used a bamboo steamer here but any kind of steamer will do. I never really used to measure how much of each spice I put in, it was just a beautiful concoction of flavors that came together as I went. But don’t worry, I did measure everything for this recipe, just for you guys. 🙂
So why parchment parcels?
This is a cooking method that the French call En Papillotte or al cartoccio in Italian, meaning “cooked in parchment/foil”. When it comes to fish and seafood, the volatile aromas and flavors can be easily lost with frying, grilling or most standard ways of cooking. But wrapping them in parchment paper and steaming them to perfection in parcels ensure that you trap all of those wonderful aromas, flavors and moisture in the food so that nothing is lost.
Why this recipe is so versatile
And you can add a variety of herbs and spices to flavor the steamed shrimp even more. Seriously, this recipe is more of a guide. You like ginger? So add a little more. You don’t have green tea? Leave it out. You like it spicy? Add some more chili flakes or crushed red pepper. This recipe is super versatile and as long as you like the taste of your marinade, your final dish will be insanely delicious. I usually get a bit picky about the shrimp/prawns I use for this recipe. The fresher, the better (well, duh). So whenever I get my hands on some good quality shrimp, this is almost always the final result. Mr K absolutely loves it too and he even requested this for dinner on his birthday last month! 🙂 I did make one change when I made this for his b’day. I figured the beautiful, subtle flavor of green tea would work well with the spiced shrimp. Since shrimp is so delicate in flavor and absorbs additional flavors really well, I knew the tea would hold up deliciously in this dish. So while the tea is optional, I certainly recommend it. The tea addition in this recipe gave me another level of delicate, citrussy smokiness. Amazing.
Recipe highlights
One of the things I enjoy the most about a dish like this is opening up that parcel. Just imagine, you’re sitting in a fancy restaurant and then you get a meal with a pouch like this and then you open it up right there on your plate and you find out what’s inside and you’re hit with that delicious aroma all at once. That’s what sets my salivary glands on fire. The anticipation of it, and the combination of aromas and taste that complete the flavor profile. The fresh, earthy flavors of ginger, tamarind, lemongrass and cilantro, the citrus flavor of lemon, the delicate, almost tannin-like flavor and smokiness of tea, with perfectly steamed shrimp and mushrooms. Plus the tea leaves that I’ve added here are edible as well. All this on a plate of cooked white rice that soaks up all the juices in the parcel. And it’s all so easy to make. Your family will absolutely love this too! If you liked this recipe don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes and updates by entering your email address below (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 and GOOGLE-PLUS too.
