Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Curry Orzo Shrimp, a leftover remake

Blink...Blink...Blink...

I've been trying to compose a post for days now, and finally realized that I have developed quite the friendship with the blinking cursor. Despite the multitude of daily inspirations, my Blogger screen has remained blank, and for once in my life I'm at a loss for words! I'm hoping it's just a funk and I'll soon snap back into reality.

In the meantime, I've done a fair amount of cooking recently, though we've been eating out a lot with visitors and friends. As a result, our refrigerator is fully stocked with leftovers from DC's finest eating establishments. If anyone's interested in a city-wide restaurant taste test, just come a knockin at our door.

Last week, we enjoyed dinner at Satay Club, an Asian fusion restaurant highlighting Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian cuisine. I may be missing some, but those are the main countries I noticed on the expansive menu. The food bordered on excellent, with our favorite being the Curry Laksa, a mixture of rice and egg noodles in a coconut curry broth. We loved that tasty broth so much that even after we devoured the rest of the meal, we brought home just the broth for a little leftover re-do. Every gal deserves a cheatin' speedy dinner, don't ya think?

Using the rich coconut curry as a start, I sauteed red bell peppers, mushroom and garlic until softened, then added them to the simmering curry broth. I threw a little spinach in there for vitamins and good measure...A few peeled and deveined shrimp make everything tasty, also feeding my ever lasting shrimp addiction. Simmer until they are barely pink.

...and throw in cooked orzo (1 cup uncooked). Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes and voila! you've got yourself a hearty meal! I'm not sure if its common to combine orzo with curry, but we loved how the little pasta soaked up the sauce and turned these leftovers into a main dish. I'll certainly be using this combo in the future.

If you're an adventurer, try these recipes for laksa, found through the wonderful Food Blog Search.

Asian Satay Club
4654 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016 (202) 363-8888

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, every girl deserves a quick redo! This looks like the perfect answer to your prayers. I love that golden color too, very appetizing and EASY!

Emily said...

Yum yum! Looks great.

That's very thrifty of you to take home the broth, and make two meals out of it.
I wish I could try the restaurant. Must be nice having a selection of restuarants in a big city.

Uh oh - another rambling comment.

Anonymous said...

Yum, good idea to redo restaurant leftovers! Looks fresh and delicious. Glad you're getting a good taste for the restaurants in DC - we never eat out in DC b/c we live out in the suburbs and it's a hike for us to come into the city. Plus, I work in the city, so I never feel like "commuting" in on the weekends!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Glad to see you're still cooking!! It's always fun to revamp leftovers :0)

Anonymous said...

followed some crumbs over from WORC, I like your site. Funny and nicely done! This orzo dish looks fantastic, I love using orzo. I make a chicken and spinach dish which is so tasty and done under 20 minutes!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

I like this, I like this a lot! I liked the way you tranformed the leftover into something that they would probably serve at the restaurant, lol!

Leslie said...

I am in kinda a blogging funk as well! I have such a back load of photos of things that I already have made..but yet to blog about!
Oh and the Cookie Chip Chocolates were ADDICTIVE!!

La Bella Cooks said...

I love each and every ingredient you used. What a great dish, Sharon!

Anonymous said...

Oh I hate those moments of writers block. I'm sure it will all come pouring out of you again soon :)

daphne said...

Orzo is pretty new to me and looks like u hv done a great job by making a curry!

MrOrph said...

Whoa...have I ever been there - the proverbial writer's block! I think I went without posting for weeks steadily caching pix of meals. Eventually, it breaks.

Great redux. I love the curry sauce. Was it coconut? It sounds quick, easy, and tasty.

grace said...

more often than not, the blinking cursor is my enemy. sitting there, flickering endlessly. why doesn't it help me when my mind is blank? sigh.
anyway, this is an excellent use of your leftovers--very clever. :)

Elle said...

Looks fantastic! Yes, every girl deserves and easy redo. Blinking Cursor is my enemy. He just stis there and taunts me.

The Blonde Duck said...

I found that inspiration is best found in a pie. You can never get bored looking at (or eating) a pie.

tigerfish said...

I will like this dish a lot! Without the orzo, I can have it with steamed rice. Should be yummy too!

Aggie said...

I have an award waiting for you on my blog...come by when you get a chance! : )

Great looking curry, yum!

That Girl said...

This does look fantastic - and bringing home the broth probably made it ridiculously easy.

krysta said...

shhh... we won't call it writer's block we will just say it's a temporary lull that happens to all of us.

i would love the orzo in curry broth. what a wonderful idea!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

That is the most vibrant gold color. I just love it.

Mama Mia said...

how creative! that looks great!

Larissa said...

I love anything with curry - this looks delicious!

test it comm said...

I have never had a laksa but this looks and sounds really tasty.

Cakespy said...

How clever of you to think of this! Thrifty but in no way sacrificing the deliciousness!! It looks so yummy and the color is very appetizing as Noble pig noted above!