making shrimp sauce from scratch



i know there are instant mixes. you dissolve them in water and they're ready. but i don't like using instant sauce for my palabok. i like cooking it from scratch.

it's not terribly hard making shrimp sauce. but you've got to have time. cooking palabok from scratch is a labor of love indeed. you spend hours preparing and cooking but it's eaten in minutes and gone in about an hour.

you start by going to the market and grocery to buy your ingredients, making sure they are fresh, esp the shrimps as they are the base of your sauce.

prepare the shrimps as soon as you arrive, as fresh is best. take off the shell and head and set aside. devein the shrimps.

use a mortar and pestle and pound the shell and head. pour about a cup of hot water then drain it into a bowl. again, pound the shell, pour another cup of water and drain it into the bowl. that will be the base of your sauce.

get a heavy pan and saute the shrimps in lots of finely minced garlic, c hopped onion and extra virgin olive oil. set the shrimps aside. discard the garlic and onion. stir in the bowl of shrimp-shell liquid. season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. add a bit more water, the amount depending on how many shrimps you put. stir in chopped fresh herbs and saffron (for flavor and color). simmer on low for about an hour, making sure to stir it from time to time. add corn starch that's been dissolved in a bit of water. i actually used ground glutinous rice (sticky rice i pounded in the mortar and pestle). once you've added the corn starch or glutinous starch, turn off the fire as you'd be heating it up again just before eating.