I went to a rooftop party for my friend Adam's 28th birthday over the weekend. Rooftops are the city equivalent of suburban backyards: you can grill out, play paddle ball, get a suntan, and even grow sad little plants in pots. Adam and Renee's apartment is in Brooklyn Heights near the Brooklyn bridge and their view of the Manhattan skyline is amazing (you can see from the Statue of Liberty all the way up to midtown). Everybody invited brought foods to throw on the grill. I brought shrimp skewers with a Chinese chili-soy dipping sauce. I went grocery shopping in Chinatown earlier in the day to get a good deal on jumbo shrimp ($5 a pound!) and planned on going back home first to make the skewers and sauce but after waiting for 45 minutes on the sweltering JMZ subway platform I decided to take a cab directly to their apartment so I wouldn't be too late. When I got to Adam's apartment the coals on the grill were already hot and I had to hurry and make the dipping sauce and skewer the shrimp. It's a good thing it's really easy. The shrimp was a hit and the dipping sauce turned out great. It's a nice change from boring cocktail sauce.
Because it was a rooftop barbecue party I grilled the shrimp but when I had this dipping sauce at a restaurant on Hainan Island, it was with steamed shrimp. In China they normally prepare shrimp with the heads and shells still on which makes for a messy eating experience. I was trying to be quasi-authentic so I kept the shells on but bought headless shrimp. If I grill shrimp again I will forego heads and shells all together because the shells are hard get off after they're grilled. The recipe below is for steamed shrimp. Leave the shells on while you steam them but make sure to peel the shrimp before dipping and eating.
Steamed Shrimp with Chili Soy Dipping Sauce
1 1/2 lb medium size shrimp, shell-on and headless
1 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut oil
6 dried chilies, roughly chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
Place a steamer basket in a pot with water just touching the bottom of the basket. When the water begins to boil add the shrimp, cover, and cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimp is firm and cooked through.
To make the dipping sauce, mix together the soy sauce, oil, chilies, green onions, and ginger in a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes to let the favors come out then serve in little bowls for dipping.