Eggs with Shrimp & Beef
Nasi Goreng—Indonesian
(Serves 8)

3 eggs
salt & pepper
4 T vegetable oil (divided)
2 onions (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (peeled)
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (see sidebar)
12 oz. fresh shrimp (peeled, deveined)
l lb. beef, top loin or sirloin (2 x 1/8” strips)
8 scallions (cut lengthwise into strips)
2 C long-grained white rice (cooked)
3 T soy sauce
1/2 C canned French fried onion rings
2 T fresh cilantro (chopped)
                
Using a large enough skillet, make a thin omelet with eggs, salt & pepper and 2 tsp oil. Roll up omelet and, when cool, cut into thin strips. Set aside.

Puree in food processor onions, garlic, and shrimp paste; then sauté mixture in 2 T of oil in skillet or wok. Add beef strips, stirring and cooking for 4 minutes. Add remainder of oil and whole shrimp, stirring for 2 minutes to coat shrimp; then add rice, scallions, and cook 3-5 more minutes, till shrimp is translucent and meat is cooked but tender. Add omelet strips and soy sauce, stir, and serve in a large bowl or platter topped with onion rings and cilantro.

Tips & Glossary: Southeast Asian

You probably won’t have many of the ingredients common to this cuisine. So before undertaking any of the recipes, make a list and head to an Asian food store.

Toss any old, even unopened, spice jars because they’ve probably lost their distinctive flavors. Put them on your shopping list. 

About those chilis: Southeast Asian food is Hot, with a capital H, hotter than most Westerners are used to. We’ve turned the heat down in these recipes somewhat, but just to warn you: adjust the use of chilies to your tastes.

Rice Sticks: aka rice noodles or vermicelli; thin dried noodles from rice flour. Soak before using, about 1 hour, or less, depending on how soft or chewy you like your noodles. You’ll want to experiment a bit before you find the texture you want. 

Shrimp Paste: made of fermented, ground shrimp. Called terasi in Indonesia, kapi in Thailand, blachanag in Malay, and mam tom in Vietnamese. It has a pungent smell, which you may find hard to take, but it’s essential in many dishes. 

Tamarind: tropical tree grown in Africa and Asia; its fruit pulp is used as souring agent for savory dishes in Asian cooking. It’s also found in Worcestershire sauce and some ketchup.

Wok: you can use a wok, though it’s not necessary—a deep, wide skillet will do. If you use a wok, make sure it’s properly seasoned: coat bottom and sides with 1 C oil and it till it begins to smoke.  Let it smoke for 2-3 minutes.  Pour out oil, and when wok is cool enough, rub with paper towel, removing excess oil.  Pour in ½ C coarse-grained salt and rub into bottom and sides of wok. Pour off salt and rub wok with a thin layer of oil—and you’ve got a seasoned wok.