What to do with leftover dried shrimp

Recipes with dried shrimp

• Nyonya-style chicken and coconut curry laksa
• Pad Thai noodles

Where a recipe calls for 1 tsp shrimp paste, substitute by rehydrating approximately 12 dried shrimp in boiling water, chopping and adding as the recipe instructs with shrimp paste. Try with the following recipes:

• The ultimate Thai green curry
• Malaysian-style vegetable and coconut curry
• Quick Thai yellow fish curry
• Prawn and tofu pad Thai

Where a recipe calls for 1 tbsp fish sauce, substitute by rehydrating approximately 6 dried shrimp in boiling water, chopping and adding as the recipe instructs with shrimp paste. Try with the following recipes:

• Thai green prawn curry
• Quick prawn curry noodles
• Thai fishcakes with cucumber salad and dipping sauce

How to use up any leftover dried shrimp

•  Quick chilli shrimp oil
  Gently heat 250ml vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add 2-3 tsp dried shrimps with a pinch of salt and fry for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 2-3 tbsp chilli flakes, then allow to cool completely. Transfer to a sterilised glass jar and chill for up to 3 months. Gives a good kick to Asian-style rice dishes.
• Shrimp fried rice
  Heat 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil in a wok. Add 2-3 tbsp dried shrimps and fry until light golden. Add a beaten egg and stir, breaking up the egg with a spoon, until half-cooked. Add a 250g pouch microwave rice (or 250g leftover rice) and fry until hot. Add soy sauce, spring onions, and a handful of chopped coriander, if you like.
• Stir fried cabbage with bacon & dried shrimp
  In a bowl, soak roughly 12 dried shrimp in water for 30 minutes. Drain, coarsely chop, then pound in a pestle and mortar until crumbled. Take 2 slices of bacon, cut into half inch pieces then stir fry in a wok over moderate heat until browned, about 6 minutes. Add 3 chopped cloves of garlic and the dried shrimp and stir-fry until fragrant, around 1 minute. Take 1 savoy cabbage, core and slice into 1cm pieces, add to the wok followed by 2 tsp sugar, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and stir-fry until the cabbage begins to soften, around 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender. Season to taste and serve.