For something so tiny, dried shrimp have a lot of flavour. They're made by salting and drying small seawater shrimp and the end product is usually no bigger than 2cm long. There are large dried shrimp available - about 6cm long, excluding the head - but they are used more often as a main ingredient in a dish rather than as a flavouring.
Dried shrimp are sold loose or in small plastic bags. If possible, purchase them loose so you have an opportunity to smell them: they should have a strong aroma but no trace of ammonia, which indicates they weren't fully dried and are starting to spoil. The shrimp should be bright orange in colour.
Before using dried shrimp, rinse them thoroughly then soak in tepid water. The soaking liquid can be added to dishes because it contains a lot of flavour. The shrimp are good simmered in soups, used in stir-fries, mixed with glutinous rice and other ingredients for the traditional rice dumplings (zhoong) served during Dragon Boat Festival, and mixed with shredded turnip and other ingredients for loh baak goh (steamed turnip cakes), which are served at Lunar New Year.
For a comforting home-style dish, put some soaked, drained dried shrimp in the bottom of a heat-proof dish. Whisk a few eggs with an equal amount of water (including the shrimp soaking liquid) and season to taste with salt, white pepper and a little sesame oil. Pour the eggs over the dried shrimp. Heat some water in the bottom of a two-tiered steamer and when it boils, put the dish of eggs and shrimp on the top tier. Turn the heat to low, cover the steamer and steam for 10-15 minutes or until barely set - do not overcook or the custard will develop holes. Drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle with minced spring onions.
Although dried shrimp are usually used sparingly because the flavour is so strong, they are also delicious as a primary ingredient in a Thai salad. Use paper towels to pat off excess water from the soaked, dried shrimp. Heat about 250ml of oil in a wok until hot, then add the dried shrimp and stir constantly for several minutes until the shrimp are crunchy. Drain the shrimp and blot excess oil. Toss the shrimp with shredded green mango, toasted peanuts, minced bird's-eye chillies and very small pieces of Thai limes (including the skin). There should be a lot more dried shrimp than green mango. Make a sauce by mixing to taste some fish sauce, fresh lime juice, rice vinegar and sugar. Toss the sauce with the shrimp and green mango and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately, garnished with sprigs of fresh coriander.
