Nagaimo and Shrimp Paste

Preparation

For shrimps, peel, devein and rinse under a running tap and pat dry with kitchen towel. Smash shrimps with the back of a knife and chop coarsely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (prawns, water chestnuts, carrots and coriander leaves) and seasonings A. Stir in one direction until well combined. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Soak nagaimo in a vinegar diluted water for 1 minute. Peel and cut into slices (about ½ inch thickness). Place on a steaming tray, sprinkle a little bit of salt and steam for 2-3 minutes (for softer yam, steam 5-8 minutes).

Use a small spoon to scoop out some nagaimo from its centre. Use a tea strainer, dust the centre with cornstarch. (refer to note 2 and 3)

Combine the extra nagaimo in step (3) with the marinated shrimp paste in step (2) and mix well. Scoop 1 tbsp of the mixture. Wet your hands and roll into a ball. Place on the indent at the centre of the nagaimo. Press the mixture slightly so that it will stick to the nagaimo (refer to note 4).

Add wolfberries as garnishing.

Arrange items in step (4) on a steaming tray. Bring water to a boil and steam under high heat for about 10-12 minutes or until cooked.

Bring seasonings B to a boil. Let it simmer for a while until it is slightly thicken. Adjust seasoning if needed. Pour over item in step (5). (refer to note 5 and 6)

Best to serve with rice.

Notes:

If you don’t have carrots, substitute the amount with water chestnuts.

Wear a pair of kitchen gloves when handling nagaimo as it may cause irritation to the skin.

If you don’t have a tea strainer, use your finger tips to sprinkle the cornstarch powder.

The marinated shrimp paste is used to balance the bland nagaimo. So the shrimp paste must be equal or slightly more than the nagaimo. As nagaimo comes in different size, so use your own judgement to decide the size of the shrimp mixture. If nagaimo slice is big, then flatten slightly the shrimp mixture instead of making a full size ball shape.

You can prepare this gravy before steaming and add 1-2 tbsp onto the steaming tray. So, it can absorb into the nagaimo during steaming.

You may not need to pour all the gravy onto the dish during serving. Just use half of it and keep it aside. Add extra if needed.

You can substitute nagaimo with tofu/ egg tofu.

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Recipe link: http://food-4tots.com/2010/07/16/nagaimo-and-shrimp-paste/

Ingredients
150g shrimps (net weight)
2 pcs medium sized water chestnut (approx. 40g) – chopped
2 tbsp chopped carrots – refer to note 1
2 tbsp coriander leaves – use the leaves part, chopped finely
200g nagaimo (fresh huai san)
Handful of wolfberries for garnishing (optional)

Seasonings A (for shrimp paste):
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp shallot / garlic oil
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
Dash of pepper and sesame oil

Seasonings B (for gravy):
150ml stock (mix 150ml water with 2 tsp Maggi chicken concentrated stock)
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
Dash of pepper and sesame oil
Cornstarch solution (mix 1 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water)

Extra:
Some cornstarch for dusting