Stir-fry for P90x Phase I
- 8 oz shrimp peeled
- 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp ginger minced
- 3/4 cup red onion sliced in wedges
- 3/4 cup broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups snow peas trimmed
- 1 3/4 cups mushrooms halved
- 1/2 cup yellow bell peppers cubed
- 1/2 cup canned water chestnuts drained
- Carbohydrate 53.601715 g
- Cholesterol 340.48 mg
- Fat 5.81235 g
- Fiber 12.9153996323347 g
- Protein 62.36109 g
- Saturated Fat 0.954611 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1103g)
- Sodium 1273.2355 mg
- Sugar 40.6863153676653 g
- Trans Fat 2.357724 g
- Calories 497 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse shrimp and drain well.
- Heat the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and 2 tbsp of the chicken broth in a saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute until tender.
- Add all the vegetables to the pan and continue to saute, stirring and adding more broth as necessary. Add shrimp when the vegetables are halfway cooked and saute until the vegetables are tender and the shrimp are opaque.
Snow peas do the heaviest lifting in this skillet, providing the distinct crisp-snap that keeps a massive volume of produce from turning to mush. Achieving that crunch requires recognizing how water interacts with high heat. Vegetables release moisture rapidly when salted or exposed to heat, transforming a dry pan into a steaming environment. Managing this transition means adding liquid incrementally rather than dumping all chicken broth in at once. Steam cooks the broccoli stems through, but direct contact with the hot pan surface develops the necessary browning on the red onions and yellow bell peppers.
Managing Moisture and Timing
Shrimp cook in a fraction of the time required for dense vegetables like mushrooms and broccoli. Introduce the shrimp only after the vegetables reach the halfway point of cooking, usually around four to five minutes in a pan heated to medium. Overcooked shrimp contract into rubbery spheres because their muscle fibers squeeze out moisture too quickly. Watch for the exterior to shift from translucent grey to opaque pink, curling into a loose 'C' shape rather than a tight 'O' before removing the pan from the heat source.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- Texture: Reheat refrigerated stir-fry gently in a skillet over medium-low heat rather than a microwave to prevent the shrimp from toughening.
- Substitution: Swap water chestnuts for sliced bamboo shoots at a 1:1 ratio if a woodier crunch is preferred.
