Asian cilantro, fat scallions, limes, cucumbers, ginger, mangoes...
First crack open a cold beer, or even better, some cold sake. Then try out these cool refreshing 'summer rolls', which just require one to quickly cook some shrimp, cutting down on the heat required in the kitchen. Or you can buy them pre-cooked if you like. Or vegetarians can just leave them out-firm tofu works. Get a pack of spring roll wrappers from the Asian grocery, they are about a buck and a half for about a hundred (try NE 163rd St-there are plenty of Asian markets on that strip). I pick up my groceries at LaGuardia market on NE 2nd ave and 34th St-all the items above for $3.50. Soak the wrappers in cold water for about 30 seconds, then carefully lift out and place on a plate. Have everything else at hand, and start wrapping, burrito-style. Don't fill too much or they will break. Put all your handiwork in the fridge, and let cool down for an hour. Crack open another beer.
Chinese secrets....I hate to give this one away, but five-spice powder is the best for making your dishes taste authentically Asian. Five spices, already mixed, sprinkle on the shrimp while you're cooking it. You get all the glory, almost no work. Works on everything. Also, aside from soy sauce, buy some oyster sauce-great for dipping. Make sure that 'oyster' is listed at the top of the ingredients. Buy the wasabi in the tube while you're there, too. Make sure the ingredients list 'wasabi'. Trust me.
Summer Rolls-the perfect cure for heat-stroke, and whining...
The assembly process is helped along by copious cans of cold beer...
Get the cat involved-they love shrimp, too, once they figure out what it is...
Sloppy, but pretty tasty. Dip in soy sauce, oyster sauce, or a combination of oyster, soy, and wasabi.