Ever stroll through market and pick up something you never use on a whim? It can be a lot of fun, and even provide a new family favorite.

This dish may sound exotic, but if your willing to wrestle a coconut you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Unlike many coconut shrimp dishes this isn’t crazy sweet, fresh coconut actually has a very unique almost woody, creamy taste.

For the Fried Rice

4 cups cooked rice

1 can mixed vegetables

1 cup diced onion

3 cloves garlic minced

2 eggs

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tbsp chinese mustard

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cracked black pepper

½ tsp Sriracha

Take the last 5 ingredients and whisk them together. Get a pan very hot and add the oil, onion, garlic, and rice. Then add the vegetables and stir.

After two minutes add your sauce bowl mixture and cook until the sauce is evaporated. Push the rice aside giving you a place to pour the whisked eggs on the surface of the pan and allot them to cook chopping up with your spatula as you do. Toss the eggs in the rice and serve.

Chili Cream

½ cup Sriracha sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

the juice of 1 lemon

small pinch salt, sugar, and pepper

Whisk together and keep cold until service.

Coconut Shrimp

1 bag large frozen shrimp, thawed

1 coconut; cracked and grated

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

flour

Set up flour in your first bowl, whisked egg and milk in your second, and a mixture of panko and coconut in your third. Coat the shrimp in each one in order and fry at a temperature of 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until fully cooked and allow to drain before serving.

This dish is a bang of exotic flavor but really costs very little to prepare. So don’t be afraid of things like a fresh coconut. It just might hold a new favorite treat.

Joey Schmidt, A.K.A. ‘Joey from Leeds’or ‘JFL,’ is a certified Sommelier, Birmingham bar menu consultant, and local culinary graduate. He is also the Head Mixologist for Rated R Cocktails, which updates weekly with drink recipes and news. Look for Rated R Cocktails on Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet.