Crispy Jumbo Shrimp with Asian Soba Noodle and Vegetable Salad

I was pondering my options for dinner last night and trying to come up with something a little different than my usual weeknight meals.  I really don't know how this came to mind,  though I guess I was thinking of having an Asian stir fry, but I really also felt like having some shrimp too. A while back I saw a version of an Asian noodle salad that looked really good, so I thought I would give it try myself.  As far as the shrimp goes, I bought 1/2 pound of enourmous 10-12 USA shrimp and paired the crispy fried shellfishes with a dipping sauce that was a take off of the bang bang shrimp sauce, but I think it was better!

After bringing a large pot of water to a boil, I cooked the soba noodles for about 3 minutes until they were tender.  I drained the noodles and rinsed them under cold water and, again, drained them well.  Into a large mixing bowl the noodles went to be combine with shredded napa cabbage, shredded carrots, thinly sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.  The sauce I made was a mixture of 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, dash of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Combine the ingredients well, pour over the soba noodles and vegetables and toss really well until combined.  Let sit until time to eat.  (I actually had some of the left over noodle salad for lunch today and I think it was even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight.)

The first step for the shrimp was to shell, devein and rinse the shrimp under cold water.  Next, I made the batter from cornstarch, flour, 1 egg and some water.  I dipped each shrimp into the batter, let the excess drip off, and rolled them in panko bread crumbs.  Then into the hot 375 degree oil for just a minute or two on each side or until they are golden brown, crunchy and cooked through.  Sprinkle with salt as soon as they come out of the oil.  Serve with a dipping sauce of mayonnaise, garlic chili hot sauce, a squirt of ketchup and a little bit of soy sauce.  Really, really good!