Orange & Ginger Shrimp

Hello, boys and girls,

Welcome to cooking with Varun! In the summer of 2015 I was in Istanbul and let me start by saying, it is a beautiful city. Big and sprawling, with a gorgeous view of the Bosphorous strait, and absolutely teeming with people. Countless mosques dot its skyline and a constant stream of traffic can be seen crossing it's many bridges, most notably, the  Bosphorous bridge that connects Europe to Asia. It also has some wonderful museums and a superb nightlife that found me partying until the early hours of the morning on more than a few occasions!

I landed on a sunny Sunday afternoon, very excited to be in a new place, and got a cab from Ataturk airport to my hotel in Taksim. After checking-in, I took a quick shower and did what I do best, get out and explore. Luckily, I had had the foresight to request a colleague to come and show me around the first day, because I didn't want to end up lost in an unfamiliar place where English isn't the primary language. My colleague (now friend), an affable Turkish girl, collected me from the hotel and took me around. We crossed Taksim square (Taksim meydani) and walked down the crowded Istiklal street (to call it a beehive of activity would be an understatement). With countless restaurants, retail stores, hawkers, and buskers on either side, not to forget the old tram running down the middle cheerfully jingling it's bell, parting the river of humanity, I couldn't decide which way to look! As we navigated our way through the throng of people, my friend, Ms. Technically Gifted Rebel, led us to an Irish bar where we sat for a bit and had a couple of drinks and talked a bit to get to know each other better. We then meandered over to Cihangir where we ducked into a hole in the wall restaurant, climbed up a narrow stairway to the seating area, and I had my first taste of authentic Turkish food. We tucked into some lahmacun, and pide and made our way back to Taksim through little streets packed with the fattest cats you ever saw! I lived in Britain and my landlady had 2 proper fat cats, but these strays could have given them a serious waddle for their money! On the way back, we passed a little Chinese takeaway place, that unbeknownst to me at the time, would become a staple dinner joint for me, to the extent that I would sneak food into my hotel (outside food was forbidden in the hotel) in a variety of bags as I waltzed through the lobby trying to look nonchalant, breathing easily only once I'd reached the sanctuary of my room.

Today's recipe is quick and easy Chinese takeaway style dish that you can eat with both, noodles, and fried rice.

For my Orange and Ginger Shrimp, you will need the following:

Shrimp/Prawns	300 gms
Green peppers (capsicum)	1
Onion	1
Carrot	1
Green chillies	2-3
Garlic	2 cloves
Ginger	thumb sized piece
Chicken stock cubes	2
Orange juice	1 cup (freshly squeezed would be great!)
Cornflour	1 tbsp
Orange zest	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Oil

Prep:

1. Grab a fine grater.
2. Hold the unpeeled orange against it.
3. Lightly scrape until the peel starts coming off. (Stop when you can see the white bit under the orange skin. That bit is bitter.)
4. Move the orange around to another bit.
5. Continue until you have enough zest.
6. Mince the garlic.
7. Mince the ginger.
8. Cut the green pepper into large cubes.
9. Slice the onion into big pieces.
10. Thinly slice the carrot
11. Dissolve the stock cubes in 2 cups of water.

Method:

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a pan/wok on.
3. Splash in some oil.
4. Slide in the chillies.
5. Toss in the garlic.
6. Toss in the ginger.
7. Cook until the garlic and garlic start to brown slightly.
8. Pour in the stock.
9. Pour in the orange juice.
10. Splash in the soy sauce. (As dark as you want it.)
11. Splash in some vinegar.
12. Mix.
13. Decide you want more sauce/gravy.
14. Add in a cup of water.
15. Splash in some more soy sauce to fix the colour.
16. Add in the carrots, peppers, and onions.
17. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
18. Grab a cup.
19. Add in a tbsp of cornflour.
20. Add in some cold water and mix.
21. Add the mixture a little at a time to the pan to thicken the sauce.
22. Shake in the orange zest.
23. Simmer for a few minutes.
24. Pop in the shrimp/prawns. 
25. Cook until the shrimp/prawns are plump and pink. (If you had the precooked ones, you'll only need a couple of minutes.)
26. Turn the gas off.
27. Serve with fried rice or noodles.
28. Stuff face.
29. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Don't add the zest in early, it gets really bitter.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!