Recipe #54: Shrimp with broccoli

If you've tried our shrimp fried rice and enjoyed it, then I'm sure you've halfway mastered cooking with shrimp. In Chinese dishes that use shrimp, sauteeing is the most common method.

To ensure that the shrimp is tender, they are briefly "soaked" in hot oil. The heat of the oil would cook the shrimp. However, this method results in a lot of grease, which is unhealthy. Also, only a small portion of the oil is actually used up, which is wasteful. In sauteeing the shrimp, we use two methods. One of them is to put them in a mixture of cooking wine and corn starch. The other method is to use a mixture of a tablespoon of cooking wine and a tablespoon of egg whites. The latter is more traditional, but it will leave chunks of egg white, which negatively impacts presentation. However, the first method will work just fine.

Ingredients

1. 1 broccoli, flowers only
2. 1/2 - 2/3 lb. shrimp, peeled and divined
3. 1 tsp. of both corn starch and cooking wine
4. salt and pepper to taste
5. 1 Tbsp. and 1 tsp. oil, divided

Directions

1. Cut broccoli into stalks. Each piece should not be too large; otherwise it will taste raw.
2. Prepare a pot of water with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. oil added. When water boils, add broccoli and keep the lid on. When boiling resumes, turn off heat. After the boiling stops again, drain the broccoli and put into a plate, arranged in a circle.
3. Refer to the recipe for the shrimp fried rice for instructions on how to prepare the shrimp.
4. When shrimp is fully cooked, put in center of plate.

Tips

1. This creates an excellent presentation. If you are serving to yourself, you can use an easier method: drain the cooked broccoli aside; when the oil is heated, cook the shrimp until it is about 80% done and add shrimp. Saute and mix the shrimp and broccoli. If you use this method, the broccoli will contain the taste of shrimp, which improves the flavor.