Shrimp Sandwich with Cumin Guacamole, Coriander and Chili Peppers
Sometimes I sit in my kitchen, or on my sofa in the living room, I close my eyes and imagine food. Just food. I can see colourful ingredients, vegetables, seafood, spices and herbs, or beautiful dishes carefully prepared on plates. I don't have to do anything, these pictures appear naturally in front of my inner eye. It's a helpful gift and the reason I never fear running out of inspiration, as long as I take my time to sit down with a cup of tea, relax and let go my kitchen ideas will come to me.
Culinary daydreams are fun and I particularly enjoy the ones about new sandwich creations. It makes me feel like a child in a toy shop. I can pull any ingredient out of the imaginary shelf, mix wildly and create whatever comes to mind on the plates, or I can keep it simple and work (or dream) minimal. Fruit and ripe cheese is always a great match, but there's so much more, sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy, sour and spicy, fresh and aged aromas, there are endless possibilities.
It's an exciting process as I never know how it will taste until I finished taking the last picture and enjoy the first bite. Some recipes are hard to imagine but I always follow my gut feeling (literally) and that's quite reliable. Today I felt like cumin guacamole, it's a great fusion of this distinctive spice and the wonderful velvety fruit, they truly bring out the best in each other! I merged this duo with the salty taste of the sea, fresh herbs and some hot spiciness. Shrimp, avocado, coriander and red chili peppers stuffed between a bun, my daydreaming was right, it was delicious!
Shrimp Sandwich with Cumin Guacamole, Coriander and Chili Peppers
For 2 sandwiches you need
buns, cut in half, 2
shrimps, cooked and peeled, 100g / 3.5 ounces
small ripe avocados, peeled, 2
sour cream 3 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
a pinch of cumin
salt and pepper
fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced, 1
fresh coriander leaves, a small handful
black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar, for the topping
Cut 1 avocado into slices, chop the second one with a fork and mix with 2 tablespoons of the sour cream. Season with lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
Divide the guacamole between the 2 buns and spread it voluptuously on the bottom half. Lay the shrimp and avocado slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining sour cream, the chili pepper, crushed pepper and coriander leaves. Enjoy!
Spicy Mango Salad and the Thai Park in Berlin
A small path lined with trees and dense bushes led me to one of Berlin's most highly praised culinary hotspots which I've wanted to visit for ages. Last Sunday I finally made my way to the city's famous Thai Park! The air was hot and sticky and I enjoyed the short walk in the shade, I was excited as many of my friends had told me so much about this place and its amazing food. A big meadow surrounded by a green wall of trees opened in front of me, with people sitting on blankets under little umbrellas savoring delicious looking food, playing cards or just daydreaming. It was a peaceful scene, Sunday afternoon calm.
On Sundays when the weather is nice and sunny, women from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia come to the Preußen Park in the heart of Berlin and make it their kitchen. They sit on the grass behind colourful cooling boxes, mobile grills and gas cookers and chop vegetables or fry tempura. While they offer golden fried pork belly, shrimp and dumpling sticks, the ladies chat and laugh between their mobile kitchens. On a tiny patch of grass they cook delicacies which I would hardly manage to create in my kitchen! I was astonished, by the beauty of the food and of the women, the utter satisfaction in their faces touched me. Their passion for cooking and for their traditional recipes is the reason they gather in this park thousands of kilometers away from the recipes' origin to create the meals they grew up with and to share with people like me. I was so impressed by the quality and variety of the dishes they offered!
Needless to say that I bought lots of plates and boxes with salads, meat and fish, spring and summer rolls and dumplings. I found a little spot in the shade and enjoyed all the different dishes, flavours and combinations which I rarely use in my own kitchen. There was far too much food so we enjoyed the leftovers at home where I also came up with the idea for a mango salad with a few changes to the one I enjoyed at the park.
To begin with I didn't have green mangos but a very ripe yellow one which I didn't grate (the traditional way) but cut into slices. I mixed it with lots of coriander, roasted cashews and spicy red chili pepper. For the dressing I used the sesame oil I had bought for my Korean Bibimbap, soya sauce, honey, lime and lemongrass. I didn't try to create an authentic Thai mango salad, it's my own variation on this classic. When I want to eat the traditional one which I won't even try to compete with, I will go to the lady in the park and ask her to prepare a portion for me, the best Thai salad I have ever had!
Spicy Mango Salad with Coriander and Roasted Cashews
For 4 people you need
ripe yellow mangos, sliced, 2
coriander, the leaves of 2 bunches
roasted cashews, chopped, a handful
For the dressing
sesame oil 2 tablespoons
sunflower oil 1 teaspoon
soy sauce 1 teaspoon
honey 1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed lime juice 1 teaspoon
zest of 1/4 lime
red chili pepper, finely chopped, 2.5cm / 1" piece
lemongrass, finely chopped, 2.5cm / 1" piece
a pinch of brown sugar
Whisk the ingredients for the dressing and adjust to taste.
Spread the mango and coriander leaves on 4 plates and sprinkle with the cashews and dressing.
Guacamole Bagel with spicy Chili Peppers
Whenever I make guacamole I have to make lots of it, I can eat it with a spoon! When an avocado is so smooth, ripe and buttery that you can scoop it out like an ice cream, it doesn't really need anything more. If only there wasn't this addictive Mexican dip which combines the fruit's oily richness with lemon juice, coriander, salt and pepper. There are endless variations on it, I always try out new versions, this time I added some sour cream and freshly chopped red chili pepper.
For this week's Sandwich Wednesday I had a bagel in mind. I had a couple of them in my freezer from the last batch I baked (I haven't forgotten that I still have to share the recipe, it will come soon!). For the guacamole, I chopped 2 ripe avocados roughly and mashed them with a fork, just a little as I wanted a lumpy texture. I mixed them with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper and added 1 red chili pepper (without seeds) cut into tiny cubes and 2 tablespoons of roughly chopped coriander leaves. Spread on a juicy bagel or any other nice bun, it's divine!
