Shrimp toast (mandarin)

20 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ pounds Fresh shrimp
2 ounces Pork fat
1 Egg white
½ teaspoon Rice wine; or dry sherry
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Fresh ginger root; minced
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
5 slices White bread
1 teaspoon Black sesame seeds; or poppy
1 tablespoon Minced ham; if desired
6 cups Oil; for deep-frying ---peppersalt (optional)--
2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons Salt

Directions

Recipe by: "Roberta K. Merkle" <rmerkle@...> Shell and devein shrimp. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Flatten each shrimp with the broad side of a cleaver to make chopping easier. Use cleaver to finely chop shrimp and pork fat. Combine chopped pork fat and shrimp; chop to a fine paste. Place shrimp paste in a medium bowl. Use a spooon or your hands to mix shirmp paste with egg white, wine, salt, ginger root and cornstarch; set aside. Remove crusts from bread. Cut each slice into 4 squares. Mound 1 rounded teaspoon shrimp paste on each square of bread and press gently. Garnish with sesame seeds and minced ham, if desired. Heat 6 cups oil in a wok over high to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Reduce heat to medium. Carefully lower bread squares shrimp-side down into hot oil with a slotted metal spoon. Deep-fry 4 or 5 at a time until edges of bread turn golden, about 1 minute. Turn each bread and cook other side 30 seconds. Remove from oil with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. REpeat with remaining bread squares. Serve hot. Sprinkle with Peppersalt, if desired. Makes 20 appetizers

Peppersalt Heat a medium saucepan over medium-low heat 1 minute. Add peppercorns and stir-fry 5 minutes. REmove saucepan from heat and lett cool. Grind peppercorns into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle or pepper grinder. Add salt; mix well. Store in a tightly convered container.

Makes about ¼ cup.

>From Chinese Cookery by R. Cheng and M. Morris.

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