Korean-Cajun Dirty Rice and BBQ’d Shrimp

I’m trying to prove to EJ that I can cook within a budget. So yesterday I set out to a supermarket and the open air market looking for what was cheap and in season. Vegetables have mistaken themselves for another food product because they are NUTS! Only beans and squash were reasonably priced. But seafood took its place in full force. You see, seafood is immune to flooding–I think.

So I got me some shrimp and live crabs, and I thought I’d round it out with some dirty rice. I haven’t had that in years. And when I saw a vendor selling chicken gizzards, I decided to go all country. Ended up with this.

What makes the dirty rice Korean is the use of “purple” rice, our way of adding black beans and black rice to normal rice to stretch it out and give it more nutrition and flavor.

Korean Purple Rice

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Short Grain White Rice
1/4 cup Black Rice
1/4 cup Black Beans, soaked overnight
1 1/4 cups Water

Combine all ingredients in the rice cooker and cook according to the rice cooker’s directions.

Korean-Cajun Dirty Rice

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. Rendered Bacon Fat
200 g Chicken Gizzards
3 Sausages, finely diced
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
1/2 cup White Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Korean Chillies (or any hot chilli), chopped
1 cup Korean Purple Rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cajun Seasoning or Crab Boil Seasoning (optional)

• Melt the Bacon Fat under medium high heat and saute the Chicken Gizzards.
• Remove the Chicken Gizzards and add the Sausage. Chop the Chicken Gizzards while the Sausage is cooking.
• Return the Chicken Gizzards to the pan and make sure they’re cooked through. Add the Celery, White Onion, Green Onion and Chillies. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
• Add the Korean Purple Rice and stir fry together for another 3 minutes.
• Taste and add Salt, Pepper and Seasoning to your preference.

BBQ’d Shrimp

INGREDIENTS
500 g Fresh Shrimp, unpeeled
2 sticks Butter
1/4 cup White Onion, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
Celery Leaves from 1 full stalk, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
A few dashes of Hot Sauce
1 Baguette, sliced

• Rinse the Shrimp.
• Combine the Butter, Onion, Garlic, Celery Leaves, Lemon, Worcestershire and Hot Sauce in a pot and slowly cook until it starts bubbling.
• Place the Shrimp on a foil-lined broiling pan and coat them with the hot butter sauce.
• Place the Shrimp under a hot broiler until they start to turn pink.
• Finish the Shrimp in a 350º F/175º C oven for around ten minutes. Don’t overcook.
• Place the Shrimp on a plate and pour the sauce into a cup or bowl. If you want more sauce, add some more melted butter.
• Serve with buttered and toasted Baguette slices.

Make sure to have plenty of paper towels handy. Peel and eat the shrimp with the butter sauce or just eat them with the shells on. That butter sauce is like–BUTTER! You will hunt your refrigerator and kitchen for other things to dip in it.