New Year - Resolve To Try Something New

Hi there everyone! Happy New Year! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I'm sure you all know how the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can, to say the least, distract you. If you're not going to holiday parties or indulging in those 3,000 calorie Christmas dinners (I read that the average Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner is around 3,000 calories per heaping plate...yikes!), then you're taking a bus or train or hopping an airplane to visit your family. The holidays remind us that even though time flies (and it sure does), some things still remain constant...the food. Whether you're indulging in the feast of seven fishes on Christmas Eve or taking that second heaping helping of candied brandied yams (our family holiday meal staple), you're following tradition and eating the same thing you have for years. Of course there's some comfort in all of that, but, when the calender reads January 1st and the holidays are officially over, it's time for a change...it's time for a little variety...and it's time to try some new things. So this year make a new year's resolution that you'll actually enjoy. Resolve to try new things. And the easiest way to start trying new things is by opening your mind to some new types of food. Need a little help getting started? How about I give you a recipe for one of my favorite dim sum dishes...shrimp balls with Sriracha mayo. They're, in essence, a fried shrimp meatball. They're one of the more tame dim sum dishes (don't worry...I won't make you eat chicken feet anytime soon...that will come later), and they're absolutely delicious.

Shrimp Balls:
-about 10 medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (frozen is fine for this...just thaw first)
-1 egg yolk
-1 cup panko bread crumbs
-1 tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-pinch of black pepper
-enough canola oil to deep fry in

Sriracha Mayo: (Sriracha is a SPICY Thai chili sauce that you can find just about everywhere)...just mix these two ingredients together...
-1/4 cup mayo
-1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce (or more if you like it hot...I do)

This recipe is a snap. Just take the peeled, thawed shrimp and throw them in a food processor with the egg yolk, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper...and pulse until the mixture turns paste-like. It should be very thick, but, if it gets SUPER gummy, just add a tbs. or so of water and continue to pulse. Take the mixture, a large tbs. at a time, and roll (like you would a meatball) into balls. Then roll the balls in the panko bread crumbs until completely coated. Place these on a plate and chill in the refrigerator while you heat the oil. I use a little fry-daddy (being a southern boy, my husband has had a mini-fryer since he was in his teens) but you could certainly just use a high sided skillet or pot, filled with enough oil to submerge the shrimp balls, and heated to 350 degrees. Gently lower the shrimp balls into the oil and fry until golden brown, (about 3-5 mins...plus or minus depending on the actual size of your ball). Serve with the Sriracha mayo and enjoy trying something new!