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Steam - Broiled Shrimp With Chicken, Ginkgo Nuts And Mushrooms
(Horakuyaki)
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This method of broiling - on a bed of coarse salt - is in fact more a steaming or even a baking process than broiling as Westerners know it, and gives a delicate flavor to the food. Although Japanese "horoku" are difficult to find in the stores, an excellent substitute would be the 12- to 14-inch Italian, Mexican or American unglazed earthenware casseroles equipped with tightly fitting covers.
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| What You Need: |
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4 medium-sized raw shrimp (16 to 20 per pound)
4 medium-sized white mushrooms
12 canned ginnan (ginkgo nuts), drained
1 whole chicken breast, boned and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 chestnuts
1 to 2 cups coarse salt
2 or 3 sprigs fresh pine needles (about ¼ cup)
DIPPING SAUCE
½ cup chirizu
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Shell the shrimp, but leave the last segment of shell and tail attached.
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2. With a small, sharp knife devein the shrimp by making a shallow incision down their backs and removing the black or white intestinal veins with the point of the knife. Set the shrimp aside.
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3. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut a small cross on the top of each.
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4. Thread ginkgo nuts on each of 4 small (4- to 6-inch) bamboo skewers, and similarly thread 2 or 3 pieces of boned chicken on each of 4 other skewers. Set them aside.
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5. Preheat the oven to 400°F. With a sharp, heavy knife, make a deep cross on the curved top of each chestnut. Place the chestnuts on a baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan and bake in the center of the hot oven for 10 minutes. Set them aside.
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6. Pour a ½-inch layer of coarse salt into a 12-to 14-inch wide horoku or unglazed earthenware casserole. Sprinkle a few drops of water over the salt and place the casserole over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the salt is heated through.
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7. Now spread a thin layer of the pine needles on the salt and arrange the shrimp, mushrooms, skewered chicken and nuts, and chestnuts on top.
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8. Scatter about 4 to 6 pine needles over the food, cover the casserole tightly (sealing the edges, if necessary, with a strip of aluminum foil), and steam undisturbed over moderately high heat for 12 to 13 minutes.
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9. Remove the pine needles and serve the food directly from the horoku or casserole, accompanied by small individual dishes of chirizu dipping sauce. Horakuyaki will serve four as part of a Japanese meal or as a first course.
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