Southeast Asian shrimp paste is made from salted, fermented, sun-dried, ground shrimp.
Used in small amounts in East and Southeast Asian sauces, soups, curries and rice dishes, shrimp paste has a strong taste of the sea. Its pungent odor mellows with cooking. It's sold jarred or in a solid cake that is brownish in color.
Reference: What does it mean to devein a shrimp? (Cookthink)
Reference: What is fish sauce? (Cookthink)
Empanadas are named after the Spanish verb empanar, which means to coat or wrap in bread.
Baked or fried turnovers that are made with pastry dough and stuffed with endless combinations of meat and/or vegetables or fruit, empanadas are usually shaped like half-moons and range in size from bite-sized to family-sized.
Many countries around the world claim the empanada as one of their own, including Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, the Caribbean, the Philippines and Spain, where empanadas are thought to have been born in Galicia. Indian samosas are one example of similar preparations found elsewhere in the world.
