I get in these moods from time to time with Asian inspired food. I simply love the cuisine. It’s flavorful. It’s somewhat healthy. And it’s loaded with so much personality. Plus, you can throw just about any ingredients you have laying in your produce drawers into a dish and they’ll come out perfect.
For this dish, I start by making the sauce first – most of these things are a super easy find in many grocery stores – even Walmart! The ONLY thing you’ll probably scratch your head at is palm sugar. But, don’t worry…brown sugar works just as well.
For the shrimp
1 pound of jumbo shrimp
the juice of 1 lime
a pinch of Kosher salt
a pinch of fresh ground black pepper
a splash of vegetable or canola oil
a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar (I used palm sugar)
*I just combined everything into a bowl and let the shrimp marinate for about 30 minutes. Anything longer and you’ll be in rough territory because of the acid in the lime. This isn’t the time for ceviche – lol.
For the sauce
1/2 cup of good soy sauce
3/4 cup of brown sugar (again, I used palm sugar)
2 teaspoons of black Chinese vinegar
2 teaspoons of Mirin
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
*Just combine all of the ingredients well and use a whisk to make sure the sugar and cornstarch have been dissolved pretty well.
Now, onto the stir fry. Honestly, I used whatever vegetables I had laying around. I had a half head of cabbage, some celery, a few carrots, some broccoli, and some bean sprouts. But, use whatever you like.
I sauteed the vegetables in a little bit of Canola oil and a pinch of salt until they were just softened. Then, I tossed in the sauce until it was warm. Meanwhile, I grilled the shrimp separately. When the shrimp were done, I plated the dish and sprinkled on some scallions. THAT’S IT! So simple. So delicious.
