Cooking On The Couch With MasterChef Junior Contestants

NEW YORK (WLNY) -- MasterChef Junior is a culinary competition series for talented kids between the ages of eight and 13 who love to cook.

Two of the young chefs, Jack Hoffman (from East Rockaway) and Sofia Hublitz (from Brooklyn) stopped by to show how to whip up a Thai Red Curry Shrimp and Bok Choy Bowl.

Thai Red Curry Shrimp and Bok Choy

Serves two
1 tablespoon ish red curry paste
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh basil rough chop
¼ cup fresh cilantro, picked from big stems
some mint leaves
Roasted nuts, any kind pistachios are great
1/4 cup bamboo shoots canned is fine
2 teaspoons fish sauce (shake to taste)
1/2 cup mushroom, any kind
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced pretty
1/2 onion (yellow or white)
5 Shrimps, peeled, deveined and butterflied
1 head bok choy, cut from stem to leaves in 1/8ths..
3 scallions
2 inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
Rice noodles, dry, soaking in hot water..
1 Lime

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine 1/2 to 1 Tbsp Red Curry paste (I like it spicy -- so I use 1 Tbsp) with one can of coconut milk and the chicken stock.
2. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add..1/4 cup bamboo shoots, chopped ginger,  2 Tsp Fish Sauce, , 1/4 cup chicken stock, and 1/2 cup of your favorite mushrooms (I use the Japanese style and shitake). Simmer (light bubble) for 10 ish minutes.
3. While you are simmering -- sauté the sliced peppers , bok choy and chopped onion in a frying pan or wok lightly covered in coconut oil. Fry lightly salt n peppered shrimps till cooked through in the same pan. Set shrimps aside
4.herbs and scallions on top of the veggies, top off with the cooked shrimps, saving two.. finish with the rest of the chopped herbs, scallions and nuts. Top with the 2 remaining shrimps.."hugging". Put an orchid flower on the tippity top if you have one, or any other edible flower..a pansy from the garden works great too..Add a lime wedge or wheel somewhere..

You will have extra coconut curry sauce left over to use another day, or, it freezes great for another dish, another time.