Name: Quick and Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ½ tsp salt; 1 ½ tsp sugar; 2 tsp cornstarch; ½ tsp white pepper; 1 Tbsp oyster sauce; 1 cup water, plus more as needed; 1 lb colossal shrimp, shells removed and deveined; ¼ tsp white pepper; 1 tsp salt; 2 Tbsp cornstarch; Neutral oil; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated; 1-inch ginger, roughly sliced; ½ carrot, peeled and thinly sliced; 2 cups snow peas; Sesame seeds, to garnish; Cilantro, chopped, to garnish; Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

15 min

Yields

4 servings

I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp stashed away in my freezer so that I can make this quick and easy Chinese-style stir-fry in a pinch. My best tip for stir-frying shrimp is to coat it in a bit of cornstarch before cooking, as I’ve done in this recipe. This creates a protective layer around the shrimp that keeps it super moist and tender on the inside, plus the cornstarch gives it a little crunchy crust. For the veggies, I’ve used snow peas here that provide a wonderful crunch, but you can use any veggies you have on hand: bell peppers, onions and celery all make great substitutions (or additions!) The key to success in this recipe is to work quickly because you want to maintain the tenderness of the shrimp and the crunchiness of the veggies.

ingredients

Sauce:

tsp salt

1 ½

tsp sugar

tsp cornstarch

tsp white pepper

Tbsp oyster sauce

cup water, plus more as needed

Shrimp:

lb colossal shrimp, shells removed and deveined

tsp white pepper

tsp salt

Tbsp cornstarch

Stir-fry:

Neutral oil

cloves garlic, minced

green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated

1-inch

ginger, roughly sliced

carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

cups snow peas

Sesame seeds, to garnish

Cilantro, chopped, to garnish

Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide

directions

Notes

To cut carrots into flowers, cut 5 evenly-spaced notches on the outside of a peeled carrot before slicing.

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Step 2

In a medium-sized bowl, mix shrimp together with white pepper, salt and cornstarch.

Shrimp coated in cornstarch and seasoning in a bowl

Step 3

Heat a large pan or wok over high heat and drizzle in neutral oil. Sauté shrimp for 2-3 minutes, tossing while cooking. When they turn pink and are no longer translucent, transfer to a plate — it’s important to work quickly here to avoid over cooking.

Step 4

Into the same large pan or wok, drizzle in more neutral oil and add in garlic, green onion whites and ginger. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Step 5

Add carrots to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes.

Step 6

Add in snow peas, sautéing for an additional 2-3 minutes until bright green but still crunchy.

Carrots, snow peas and aromatics in a frying pan

Step 7

Give the prepared sauce a quick whisk (to ensure cornstarch hasn’t settled at the bottom) and pour into the pan, stirring well until it has visibly thickened and glossy, 1-2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add additional water ¼ cup at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

Step 8

Add cooked shrimp back into pan and toss until just heated through.

Step 9

Remove from heat and discard ginger pieces. Sprinkle with green onion greens, sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve alongside steamed jasmine rice.

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Quick and Easy Shrimp Stir-Fry