Paradise Inn Shrimp Subgum

 

  Aurora, IL – Then and Now

 

CHAN’S CHINESE RESTAURANT

 

Okay, So this is the original recipe from the Paradise Inn that was a favorite in Aurora,  Il for many years.

This is one of my all time favorite dishes that I have been eating for a long time.

“How long is that Scotty ?” you may ask.

Well. I’ll tell you.

When I was a little kid my folks would order take out from this restaurant about once a month.

My Dad and Uncle Jack would take me along to pick up the food. We would park in the back alley  and go in through the kitchen.

Mr. Park would meet us back there and sit me up on a counter.  (so yeah , it was real long time ago )

He would give me a Chinese bean (Snow peas ) to munch on.

 

They were kinda sweet and there was no such vegetable in the grocery stores, so it was a real treat for me.

Mr. Park, Dad and Uncle Jack would talk over  a beer while we waited for the food to finish up.

It must have been a the big deal because it made quite the impression on me.

It was a fascinating place , back there in the kitchen. The banging of pots and pans ,  rising steam ,  exotic  smells, the hustle and bustle of all the cooks .

” Maybe you grow up to be a Chef some day, uh ?” Mr. Park would say to me.

Almost….. Still working on it Mr. Park.

 

1 stalk celery – cut on a bias

(slice it not straight across, but at a roughly 45-degree angle. This angled cut creates elongated, oval-shaped pieces and makes for a more elegant presentation.)

Green pepper – sliced into   1/2″strips then cut on a bias ( aren’t you glad you know what that means now?)

1 lb. MED or larger  shrimp – frozen  peeled , divined,  tail off .

Soak frozen shrimp in a large bowl of cold water for 20 min to thaw.

5 oz. bamboo shoots  – drained

5 oz. sliced water chestnuts drained

15 oz. mushrooms Straw if you can get them , slice  fresh ones  if not.

1

1  tomato – diced, if you can’t find a good red large tomato you can use a couple of handfuls of Cherry tomatoes cut in half )

( they always have a good tomato taste )

Handful of Chinese beans – ( Snow peas )

Handful of almonds

2 stalk Bok Choy 

( Chinese cabbage ) – chopped small

1 cup chicken soup  stock

 

Marinate shrimp :

1 tsp whiskey

1 tsp soy sauce

Few grinds black pepper

Dash of salt

 

 

Stir fry vegetables in peanut oil  until well coated

Add shrimp,  soup stock, cover

Mix up 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp MSG or season salt

2 Tsp corn starch

1 Tsp sesame oil

.3 tsp water

Stir corn starch mixture into shrimp mixture

Keep stirring until thick and everything is coated ( about 1 min)

Shrimp will be pink, add tomatoes and garnish with almonds.

Serve with noodles or rice !

Eat and Enjoy !

FAR MAN RESTAURANT