Every time I write a new recipe for a stir-fry, I giggle. Because stir-fry, much like quiche or stew, is pretty much a catch-all for whatever you feel like throwing in it. This one was born because I had a bag of salad shrimp and some winter blend vegetables in the freezer and I needed the room. I also had a green bell pepper I couldn't remember why I'd bought that was about to go bad, so I threw it in. Had it been a plan, I would've used a red pepper for contrast, but so be it. This was really tasty!
As I said, I started with a pound of shrimp and a bag of winter blend vegetables. Then I added a green pepper, an onion, some garlic, celery, and water chestnuts. Then I started thinking about sauce, and ended up with a blend of Maggi seasoning, roasted garlic teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Add some cornstarch later for thickening and some sesame seeds for crunch, and I had something special.
First, I chopped the green pepper, garlic, onion, and celery. With stir-fry, it's best to have everything ready to go before you start cooking, or you'll end up burning something or overcooking it to much while you chop.
At this point, since my frozen vegetables were in a steamable bag, I microwaved them on high for 2:30. Just enough to defrost them, but not enough to get them hot.
Then I whisked together the sauce ingredients, set aside until later. I left the whisk in the bowl, though, knowing I was going to have to whisk it again before I could use it.
I heated some extra-virgin olive oil in my largest skillet, then added the green pepper, garlic, onion, and celery. I stir-fried it over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the vegetables started to soften, but not so much the onions got translucent.
Next into the pan went the defrosted vegetables and the drained water chestnuts, which I stir-fried about 5 minutes to ensure they were hot.
I then reduced the heat slightly, whisked the sauce again and added it to the pan. Make sure you stir it to ensure everything in the pan is coated with sauce. I let it cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Then I dissolved the cornstarch in water and stirred it in. From there, add the shrimp and continue stirring for 3-5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. If you're using raw shrimp, you'll want to cook them a bit longer until they turn pink and curl.
Just before serving, I stirred in a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. I didn't take a picture, but to toast them place them in a small skillet or saute pan (dry) and heat over medium heat until they start to become fragrant, shaking the pan so they won't burn, about 3-5 minutes.
I chose to just serve it as-is, but you can serve it over rice or pasta if you prefer. If you're going to do that, I would double the sauce so it doesn't get too dry.
Quick Shrimp & Vegetable Stir-Fry
Serves 4
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used MAGGI seasoning)
2 tablespoons roasted garlic teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen winter blend vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower), thawed*
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
16 ounces frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed (or whatever size you prefer)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes; set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
Add vegetables and water chestnuts and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, whisk sauce again and add to pan. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pan with shrimp, stirring to mix well. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened.
Just before serving, add sesame seeds and stir. If desired, serve over rice (I skipped it to save on carbs).
*My frozen vegetables were in one of those steamable bags, so I microwaved on high for 2:30 to thaw, but not cook, them before I started.
Serving Size: 355g
Calories: 305
Calories from Fat: 68
Total Fat: 7.5g
Saturated Fat: 0.9g
Trans Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 67mg
Sodium: 1533mg
Total Carbohydrates: 34.7g
Dietary Fiber: 2.9g
Sugars: 7.5g
Protein: 23.5g
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