Szechwan Shrimp
August 10, 2009 | Print | E-mail | Filed under Asian, rice, shrimp
Or is it Szechuan? I’ve seen both ways of spelling it, so I’m not sure which way is correct. In any case, I made this a couple weeks ago, but due to the cake craziness and the fact that you absolutely NEEDED to try this tart, I hadn’t gotten around to posting about it yet. This is one of my favorite “rush out the door meals.” As in, hubby and I get home and we have 45 minutes to an hour to make and eat dinner before we need to be out the door again. If we’re even more pressed for time, I’ll cook the rice and prepare the sauce the night before, and things are ready to go when we get home. If you have a busy night this week, give it a shot!
You’ll need:
- 16 oz shrimp
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
- 16 oz mushrooms
For the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp white cooking wine
- 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cilantro
- 6 green onions, chopped
For the fried rice:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
First, cut up the mushrooms and green onions. It doesn’t really matter how big or small; however you like ‘em is fine.
Next, prepare the sauce. The most important ingredients are the first three: white cooking wine (you can use real wine if you prefer), hoisin sauce, and soy sauce. I use Tamari sauce because it’s richer and less salty than regular soy sauce.
Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, and give it a good stir.
Defrost the shrimp if you need to. I usually get mine frozen and pre-cooked, so I all I need to do is thaw them.
Cook the rice according to package directions. I used regular old white rice. Then, throw it into a frying pan with the egg, soy sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir constantly to make sure the egg mixes well with the rice.
Pour the vegetable oil into your wok (or frying pan, if you don’t have a wok). When the oil is hot, carefully add the shrimp into the pan. If the shrimp is pre-cooked like mine, cook it until it changes shape from long and tender to small and firm. Otherwise, if you’re using fresh shrimp, cook it until it becomes pink. Then, quickly drain the pan and throw in the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the top and cook for a few minutes longer until the mushrooms are lightly browned and the bean sprouts are wilted but still crunchy.
Pour the shrimp mix over some of the fried rice and serve.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
OH my goodness, yes please! This looks divine. I would totally make this, skip the rice, and add extra veggies. In fact, I’m bookmarking it right now!