Shrimp Spring Fling

 I recently bought delicious looking shrimp that was on sale! I decided to have shrimp for dinner. But I wanted something green to go with it. I decided on using the snow peas and it worked great! Next decision – what sauce? I chose ginger and rice wine because they go well with any seafood, they help reduce any seafood smell which some people don’t like even if they enjoy the taste it helps take off the smell of the shrimp. It is better to mix the rice wine with the shrimp before cooking it so it can absorb the flavor better. You can use dry sherry instead. I felt something was missing, I decided to use ketchup and imagine my surprised when it came out very pretty and tasty!

Being a bit creative is fun.

1 teaspoon peeled grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 pound large or medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ pound snow peas, ends snapped off and strings removed, cut in half on the diagonal

2 tablespoons ketchup

·      In a medium bowl, whisk together the ginger, wine, cornstarch. Add the shrimp and mix well.

·      In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over the medium heat until hot but not smoking. Test by dipping the end of the snow pea into the oil; it should be sizzling.

·      Add the snow peas and stir just until they turn darker green, about 30 seconds.

·      Remove the peas and put on the plate

·      Add the remaining oil to the same pan and heat over medium high heat. Stir the shrimp mixture, add it to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp turn opaque and pink, 1 to 2 minutes

·      Stir in the ketchup and stir for about 30 seconds. Return the peas to the pan and mix for another 30 seconds.

·      Remove from the heat, transfer to the dish and serve immediately.

Rice and Spring Peas

Attention everybody! It is the pea season! (at least it is in Canada) That means it is a great time prepare dishes with peas. I bought a bunch of green snap peas at the local farm market, these are delicious and fresh straight from the local farm. Green peas are great with rice, tasty and of course also lovely to look at. It is better to cook it fresh but you can go ahead and substitute it for the frozen ones.

I used a rice cooker, if you don’t have one you can still make it the old fashioned way. Follow exactly the amount of the ingredient as shown below, but instead of the rice cooker use a small saucepan cover it, bring it to boiling then turn it to low to medium-low depending on your stove. Cook for 13 to 15 minutes; don’t take the cover off at all. Check after 13 to 15 minutes, taste the rice. If it is still slightly hard leave it for 1-2 more minutes. When it is finished, following the remaining recipe.

Enjoy this simple and healthy recipe!

Serves 4

1 ½ cups uncooked rice

1 tbsp granulated chicken stock powder

or 1 chicken bullion cube

1 ¾ cups water

1 tbsp sake

1 tsp light or regular soy sauce (you make this recipe without soy sauce)

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peas, cooked (you only need to cook peas for one to two minutes after boiling)

salt

1.    Wash the rice well by swishing it around in a bowl of cold water, drain and repeat this until it clearer. It is ok if it is a bit cloudy. Drain and leave for 30 minutes before cooking.

2.    Mix the chicken stock powder with a bit of hot water then add more water to make 1 ¾ cups.

3.    Transfer the rice to a rice cooker or a saucepan, add chicken stock, sake and soy sauce.

4.    Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and lightly mix in the peas,  do it gently so as not to break up the rice or the peas. Season with a little salt and serve.