Easy
Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade,
or use low-sodium canned broth
1/4 cup unsalted peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
Coconut Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons Madras-style curry powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1-1/4 cups flat lager beer
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
(available at natural food stores)
1 pound extra-large to large shrimp,
peeled with the tail segment left on and deveined
Vegetable shortening, for deep-frying
To
make the sauce:
Whisk all of the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. (The sauce
can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead, covered, and kept at room
temperature. If the sauce thickens upon standing, thin to a thick
dipping consistency with broth or water.)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200° F. Place a wire cake rack over a jelly-roll
pan.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt enough vegetable shortening over
medium-high heat to come 3 inches up the sides of the pan and heat to
360° F. Working in batches, dip the shrimps, one at a time, in the
batter; then roll them in the coconut. Deep-fry until golden, 2 to 3
minutes. Using a slotted skimmer, transfer the shrimps to the wire rack
and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining shrimps, batter;
and coconut, allowing the shortening to return to 360° F. before frying
each batch. Serve immediately, with the peanut sauce for dipping.
To make the batter:
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, curry powder, salt,
and cayenne to mix. Add the beer and eggs and stir with a spoon just
until combined (do not over mix). Fold in 1/2 cup of the coconut. Place
the remaining coconut on a plate.
