Stir-Fried Shrimp with Snow Peas and Ginger

Categories: February2012, Main Dish, SBF, Seafood, Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 lb. or more large shrimp
• 1 cup snow peas, cut on diagonal if large
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 1 T seasoned rice vinegar
• (or use 2 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and 1/2 tsp. sugar or Splenda)
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (or use arrowroot starch if you have it, I buy it from Penzeys)
• pinch white pepper
• 1-2 T vegetable oil or peanut oil (depends on your pan)
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (use a microplane grater if you have one)
• 2 T finely minced garlic
• (my garlic was frozen, so I used garlic puree in a jar)
• 2 whole garlic cloves and 2 slices ginger *for seasoning the oil* (optional, see below)

Directions

1. Peel and devein shrimp. (I buy frozen shrimp from Costco which are de-veined, but when I peel them I cut off the tail end which is often discolored.) Cut tips off snow peas and cut larger ones on the diagonal.

2. Mix chicken stock, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch or arrowroot starch, and white pepper and whisk together. Have grated ginger root and minced garlic ready before you start to cook.

3. Heat oil over high heat in wok or large frying pan. (See below for tip about seasoning the oil if you’re doing that.) Add shrimp and stir fry 1-2 minutes (larger shrimp take longer), until shrimp are barely starting to turn opaque. Add garlic, ginger and snow peas and cook about 1 minute. Add sauce mixture and cook until mixture thickens, not more than 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

4. Seasoning the oil is a simple technique to add flavor to the oil for a stir-fry dish. It involves heating the oil, sauteeing several pieces of fresh garlic and ginger for about a minute, then removing them before you add the first stir-fry ingredient. (Be careful not to burn the garlic when doing this or it will leave a bitter flavor.) I keep my garlic and ginger in the freezer, and simply use frozen pieces, which work just fine.

Email to a friend | Print this recipe | Back