Gingered Stir-Fry Shrimp with Snow Peas
Last night, a new recipe delighted us. I experimented with a cookbook, following a recipe for the requested dish of the day: shrimp. Stir-frying is an uncommon practice for us, and indulging in sweet snow peas was a first.
Last night, a new recipe delighted us. I experimented with a cookbook, following a recipe for the requested dish of the day: shrimp. Stir-frying is an uncommon practice for us, and indulging in sweet snow peas was a first.
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- â½ cup chicken stock
- 2 garlic cloves smashed with salt
- â¼ cup fresh ginger cut into fine matchsticks
- â½ pound sweet snow peas
- 1 pound medium shrimps shelled, deveined and tail removed
- 2 small scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal
- steamed rice on the side
- Carbohydrate 6.69243334580721 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 5.36154166936878 g
- Fiber 1.89300000375024 g
- Protein 3.15086667305613 g
- Saturated Fat 0.409095468977792 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (245g)
- Sodium 7.59000001529004 mg
- Sugar 4.79943334205697 g
- Trans Fat 0.179361094014404 g
- Calories 79 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl, whisk the chicken stock with the soy sauce, smashed garlic and cornstarch.
- In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil until hot. Add the ginger matchsticks and stir fry over moderately until they are softened, about 1 minute.
- Add the snow peas and stir fry until they are crisp-tender and the ginger is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add the shrimps and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the scallion and cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the soy –chicken stock sauce to the skillet and stir fry until the shrimps are opaque and the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute more.
- Serve with steamed rice.
- Instead of the garlic you can use 1 teaspoon of Chinese chili-garlic sauce.
- Shrimps from Pete at Personal Gourmet Foods.
What the ingredient list omits is the thermal physics required to execute a Cantonese-style quick stir-fry without steaming the proteins. High thermal energy is mandatory. Skillet temperature must remain exceptionally high because adding cold shrimp drops surface heat instantly, risking a rubbery texture.
Thermal Control in Rapid Pan-Frying
Stir-frying relies on conduction and convection working simultaneously in a heavy metal skillet. Slicing ginger into fine matchsticks increases surface area contact with the hot oil, extracting aromatic compounds rapidly before the roots burn. Cornstarch suspended in chicken stock undergoes gelatinization between 203 degrees Fahrenheit and 212 degrees Fahrenheit, requiring a full boil in the pan to eliminate any raw starch flavor and bind the soy-based pan juices into a glossy glaze.- If the sauce fails to thicken, the skillet temperature was too low when the liquid was introduced.
- If shrimp taste mealy, reduce cooking time from sixty seconds to forty-five seconds.
- If ginger turns bitter, lower the initial burner heat slightly during the first thirty seconds of frying.
