Dried shrimp
Encyclopedia
Dried shrimp are shrimp
that have been sun dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami
taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The flavors of this ingredient are released when allowed to simmer.
flavor (or so-called "fifth taste"). It is an ingredient in the Cantonese XO sauce
. Dried shrimp are also used in Chinese (mostly Cantonese) soups and braised dishes. It is also featured in Cantonese cuisine
, particularly in some dim sum
dishes such as rolled and rice noodle roll
and in zongzi
. Despite the literal meaning of the name Chinese name xiā mǐ ("shrimp rice"), it has nothing to do with rice other than the fact that the shrimp are shrunk to a tiny size similar to grains of rice.
Dried shrimp are also used in Korean cuisine, where they are soaked briefly to reconstitute them, and are then stir-fried with seasonings—typically garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce
, sugar, and hot peppers—and served as a side dish. It is called "mareunsaeu bokkeum" (hangul
:마른새우볶음) in Korean
. They are also used in some Korean braised dishes (jorim
) and used for making broth
.
udang (udang being the Malay
word for prawns or shrimps). In Southeast Asia, prawns and shrimps are distinguished by their size and therefore it is not practical to make sambal udang with prawns. The Malay people developed sambal udang, which uses fresh shrimp and is wetter, while the Chinese living in Southeast Asia, especially those of Peranakan
descent, developed sambal udang kering, which uses dried shrimp, is drier, and can be served as pub grub. Most major supermarkets in Malaysia and Singapore
sell fresh shrimp from which the shells have already been removed.
In Indonesia
dried shrimp is called ebi, the name was derived from Japanese
word "ebi" means "shrimp" (either fresh or dried). Ebi is important part of Indonesian Chinese cuisine as well as Palembang cuisine, it is used in various Chinese Indonesian stir fried vegetable dishes, such as stir fried white cabbages with ebi. In Palembang
, ebi is boiled, grinded and sauted, to make savoury shrimp powder sprinkled upon pempek
fried fish cake. Ebi also important ingredient to make shrimp broth and cooked in coconut milk to make Mie Celor
. The ebi powder often also sprinkled upon asinan or sometimes rujak.
Known as kung haeng in Thai cuisine, dried shrimp is used extensively with chilies and Thai herbs to produce various types of chili paste and curry paste. Dried shrimp is also used as is in Northeastern dishes such as som tam
.
In the Philippines
, dried shrimp is called "hibi/hibe" (Hokkien
: hê-bí) and is used in soup dishes such as misua
.
They are also used in Vietnamese cuisine, where they are called tôm khô, and are used in soups and in fried rice
.
's northeastern region makes extensive use of dried shrimp, which they call "camarão seco". It is often reconstituted for use in stews or special hot sauces, such as in Acarajé
. It may also be ground into a fine powder for use as a condiment, as on Moqueca
. At times it is added directly to a dish as an edible garnish.
cooks to gumbo
to add an intense salty flavor. They can also be used as a snack by themselves, and can be commonly found in snack size portions in stores in south Louisiana.
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
that have been sun dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami
Umami
Umami , popularly referred to as savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.-Etymology:Umami is a loanword from the Japanese meaning "pleasant savory taste". This particular writing was chosen by Professor Kikunae Ikeda from umai "delicious" and mi ...
taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The flavors of this ingredient are released when allowed to simmer.
In East Asia
In Chinese cuisine, dried shrimp are used quite frequently for their sweet and unique flavor that is very different from fresh shrimp. They have the coveted umamiUmami
Umami , popularly referred to as savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.-Etymology:Umami is a loanword from the Japanese meaning "pleasant savory taste". This particular writing was chosen by Professor Kikunae Ikeda from umai "delicious" and mi ...
flavor (or so-called "fifth taste"). It is an ingredient in the Cantonese XO sauce
XO sauce
XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce used in Chinese cuisines especially in southern China such as Guangdong province and Hong Kong.-History:Developed in the 1980s in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine, it is made of roughly chopped dried seafoods including scallops, dried fish and shrimp and cooked with...
. Dried shrimp are also used in Chinese (mostly Cantonese) soups and braised dishes. It is also featured in Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
, particularly in some dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
dishes such as rolled and rice noodle roll
Rice noodle roll
A rice noodle roll is a Cantonese dish from southern China and Hong Kong, commonly served as a variety of dim sum. It is a thin roll made from a wide strip of shahe fen , filled with shrimp, pork, beef, vegetables, or other ingredients. Sweet soy sauce is poured over the dish upon serving...
and in zongzi
Zongzi
Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. Laotians, Thais, and Cambodians also have similar traditional dishes. In the Western world, they are also known as rice...
. Despite the literal meaning of the name Chinese name xiā mǐ ("shrimp rice"), it has nothing to do with rice other than the fact that the shrimp are shrunk to a tiny size similar to grains of rice.
Dried shrimp are also used in Korean cuisine, where they are soaked briefly to reconstitute them, and are then stir-fried with seasonings—typically garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce
Ganjang
Ganjang is a kind of Korean soy sauce made from fermented soybeans. Ganjang is a uniquely Korean condiment.Traditionally, Koreans start processing soybeans around the 10th month of the lunar calendar. They soak soybeans overnight and then boil them. They then pound the soybeans into a powder and...
, sugar, and hot peppers—and served as a side dish. It is called "mareunsaeu bokkeum" (hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
:마른새우볶음) in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
. They are also used in some Korean braised dishes (jorim
Jorim
Jorim is a generic Korean cuisine term referring to dishes made of vegetables, meats, seafood, or tofu in a mixed sauce by simmering for a long time. Jorim is the noun of jorida which means "simmering in a thick soup or sauce". The term did not appear in cookbooks until 17th century because...
) and used for making broth
Broth
Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...
.
In Southeast Asia
In countries like Malaysia, shrimps are used to make a condiment called sambalSambal
Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is...
udang (udang being the Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
word for prawns or shrimps). In Southeast Asia, prawns and shrimps are distinguished by their size and therefore it is not practical to make sambal udang with prawns. The Malay people developed sambal udang, which uses fresh shrimp and is wetter, while the Chinese living in Southeast Asia, especially those of Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
descent, developed sambal udang kering, which uses dried shrimp, is drier, and can be served as pub grub. Most major supermarkets in Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
sell fresh shrimp from which the shells have already been removed.
In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
dried shrimp is called ebi, the name was derived from Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word "ebi" means "shrimp" (either fresh or dried). Ebi is important part of Indonesian Chinese cuisine as well as Palembang cuisine, it is used in various Chinese Indonesian stir fried vegetable dishes, such as stir fried white cabbages with ebi. In Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
, ebi is boiled, grinded and sauted, to make savoury shrimp powder sprinkled upon pempek
Pempek
Pempek, mpek-mpek or empek-empek is a savoury fishcake delicacy from Palembang, Indonesia, made of fish and tapioca. Pempek is served with yellow noodles and a dark, rich sweet and sour sauce called kuah cuka or kuah cuko .-Origin:Pempek is the best-known of Palembang's dishes...
fried fish cake. Ebi also important ingredient to make shrimp broth and cooked in coconut milk to make Mie Celor
Mie Celor
Mie Celor , is a noodle dish served in coconut milk soup and ebi broth, served with beansprout and boiled egg, and sprinkled with sliced fresh celery, scallion and fried shallot. The dish is originated from Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, and together with Pempek it has become Palembang...
. The ebi powder often also sprinkled upon asinan or sometimes rujak.
Known as kung haeng in Thai cuisine, dried shrimp is used extensively with chilies and Thai herbs to produce various types of chili paste and curry paste. Dried shrimp is also used as is in Northeastern dishes such as som tam
Som tam
Som tam or som tum also known as tam bak hung is a spicy salad, the standard form of which is made from shredded unripened papaya. Som tam is similar to the Laotian dish tam mak hung and the Cambodian dish bok l'hong...
.
In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, dried shrimp is called "hibi/hibe" (Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
: hê-bí) and is used in soup dishes such as misua
Misua
Misua is a very thin variety of salted Chinese noodles made from wheat flour. It is originated from Fujian, China...
.
They are also used in Vietnamese cuisine, where they are called tôm khô, and are used in soups and in fried rice
Fried rice
Fried rice is a popular component of Asian cuisine, especially Chinese food. It is made from steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, and meat. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets...
.
In Africa
It is used in many African countries like Nigeria when preparing many dishes involving vegetables.Typically cooked in oil with vegetables like spinach, pepper and tomato sauce.In Brazil
The cuisine of BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
's northeastern region makes extensive use of dried shrimp, which they call "camarão seco". It is often reconstituted for use in stews or special hot sauces, such as in Acarajé
Acarajé
Acarajé is a dish made from peeled black-eyed peas formed into a ball and then deep-fried in dendê . It is found in Nigerian and Brazilian cuisine...
. It may also be ground into a fine powder for use as a condiment, as on Moqueca
Moqueca
Moqueca is a traditional Brazilian seafood stew. Brazilians have been making Moquecas for 300 years.It basically consists of fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and additional ingredients...
. At times it is added directly to a dish as an edible garnish.
In Louisiana (United States)
Dried shrimp are often added by CajunCajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
cooks to gumbo
Gumbo
Gumbo is a stew or soup that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions...
to add an intense salty flavor. They can also be used as a snack by themselves, and can be commonly found in snack size portions in stores in south Louisiana.
See also
- ConpoyConpoyConpoy or dried scallop is a type of dried seafood product made from the adductor muscle of scallops. The smell of conpoy is marine, pungent, and reminiscent of certain salt-cured meats. Its taste is rich and umami due to its high content of various free amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, and...
- SaeujeotSaeujeotSaeujeot is a variety of jeotgal, salted and fermented food made with small shrimp in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed jeotgal along with myeolchijeot in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, saeu and jeot...
- Shrimp pasteShrimp pasteShrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, ngapi in Burmese, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in...
- PadaekPadaekPadaek, sometimes Padek, Lao bagoong, is a traditional Laotian condiment made from pickled or fermented fish that has been cured. Often known as Laotian fish sauce, it is a thicker, seasoned fish sauce that often contains chunks of fish in it...
- Budu
- Fish sauceFish sauceFish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in numerous cultures in Southeast Asia and the coastal regions of East Asia, and features heavily in Thai and Vietnamese...
- Boshiamy (the Mandarin word 蝦米 is used to write the Hokkien pronunciation of 什麼)