At every Chinese New Year get together, there are always a ton of meat dishes, so we always try to make sure we have some sort of seafood dish to round out the dinner. This shrimp stir fry is a dish you can serve at your CNY get together or on a weekday when you have little to no time to cook. It is literally so easy to make, and you can use almost any veggie you want. I included some of the substitutes below, but feel free to use other ingredients I don’t mention!
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Broccoli – The main veggie in the stir fry. You can substitute with snap peas, Chinese broccoli, or green beans.
- Garlic & ginger – Adds flavor to the dish.
- Shrimp – The star of the dish! Use any kind of shrimp or prawns you can find.
- Mushroom – This is an optional ingredient, but it adds more color and flavor to the dish. I used shiitake mushrooms. You can also use portobello or crimini mushrooms.
- Corn starch – Thickens the sauce.
- Oyster sauce – Adds a yummy umami flavor to the dish. If you don’t have oyster sauce, substitute with another 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Soy sauce – Adds a bit of color and umami flavor to the stir fry. To make this dish gluten free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Sesame oil – Adds a smokey flavor to the dish.
Making my shrimp stir fry
First blanche your broccoli. Bring water to a boil and dunk the broccoli in for 10 seconds. Take them out and set aside. Next heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook for 20 seconds. Add the shrimp and mushrooms, and cook for another 20 seconds until the shrimp starts to turn orange and the mushrooms start to cook through. Add the broccoli and cook for ~1 minute. Now it’s time for your sauces! Mix corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and corn starch slurry into the pan. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the sesame oil, stir, and you’re done! Serve with a side of white rice.
Tips on how to make the perfect shrimp stir fry
- Make sure to use high heat to cook this dish – This dish is a stir fry which means the dish has to be cooked on high heat. If you cook it on a lower heat, water will start to come out of the vegetables, creating for a watery sauce which is not what you want.
- Why do you blanche the broccoli before cooking it? – Blanching the broccoli brings out the flavor and makes the color more vibrant. It also ensures that the broccoli is properly cooked through in the final dish.
- What if my sauce is too watery? – If your sauce is too watery, add more corn starch to thicken it up. You can also use flour or tapioca starch as a thickener.
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Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 19 oz broccoli
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ oz ginger julienned
- 12 shrimp
- 5 shiitake mushrooms optional, cut into chunks
- 1 ½ tsp corn starch
- 1 ½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil optional
Instructions
- First blanche the broccoli. Boil some water. Add the broccoli and cook for 10 seconds. Take them out and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook for 20 seconds.
- Next, add the shrimp and mushrooms. Cook for another 20 seconds until the shrimp starts to turn orange and the mushrooms start to cook through.
- Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix the corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and corn starch slurry. Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the sesame oil and stir. Remove from the heat. Taste the dish for seasoning and add salt if it tastes too bland.
- Serve with a side of rice.
Notes
- Blanching the broccoli or whatever vegetables you use will bring out the flavor and make its color more vibrant.
- Make sure to cook this dish over high heat. Otherwise, water will start to come out of the vegetables, and you will get a watery sauce.
- In addition to white rice, you can also serve this with brown rice or quinoa.
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