St. Lucia Buns | Lussebullar

St. Lucia Buns are a Swedish holiday tradition, symbolizing the winter solstice. Today, December 13 is St. Lucia Day in Sweden. It is also known as the Festival of Light, and ushers in the holiday season in the country. 

In its honor, I've made these St. Lucia buns, the official bread of this holiday. The buns are scented with saffron, which also gives them their lovely yellow color.

Malaysian Style Stir-Fried Turmeric Shrimp | Wok Wednesdays

Have you ever experienced preparing a dish, tasting it, and then experiencing that "I can't believe I actually made this myself!" moment?  This Malaysian Style Stir-Fried Turmeric Shrimp had this impact on me. I had to pinch myself. It is so delicious.

We are in the midst of the two week period leading up to the Chinese New Year, and shrimp is, according to stir-fry guru Grace Young, considered a dish symbolizing happiness, and traditional for the holiday.

This shrimp recipe was developed by Mei Chau, who is owner/chef of the New York City restaurant Aux Epices.  She is of Hakka descent and grew up in Malaysia, the youngest of eleven children. This shrimp combines the traditions of Chinese stir-fry and the spiciness of Malaysian food.

The recipe is simply shrimp marinated in red chiles, dill or fresh curry leaves (I used fresh dill), turmeric, ground pepper, and then sprinkled with sugar prior to stir-frying.

The only other ingredients, besides peanut oil, are garlic, shallots, and salt. That's it. It's pretty magical.

The shrimp are cooked in their shells, which add so much flavor. The shells are cut across the back and the shrimp are deveined before being washed and dried.

This recipe is stunning, and can be found in Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories by Grace Young.

Check out my friend Cathy's mis en place for this dish >here<.
The recipe can be found >here<