Kung Pao Shrimp

 

Ingredients

Sauce

· 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

· 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

· 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

· 2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or plain rice vinegar

· 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

· 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

 

Shrimp

· 1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

· 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

· 2 teaspoons soy sauce

· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

· 3 garlic cloves

· 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

· 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

· 6 arbol chiles

· 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

· 3 scallions, thinly sliced

 

Steps

1) For the sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.

2) For the shrimp: Toss shrimp with rice wine and soy sauce in a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl; set aside. Combine peanuts and chiles in second bowl; set aside.

3) Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp and cook, stirring every 10 seconds, until barely opaque, 30 to 40 seconds. Add peanut mixture and continue to cook until shrimp are almost opaque and peanuts have darkened slightly, 30 to 40 seconds. Transfer mixture to clean bowl.

4) Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 45 seconds. Push bell pepper to sides of skillet. Add garlic mixture to center and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir shrimp mixture and add any accumulated juices into bell pepper mixture in skillet, and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until sauce has thickened to syrupy consistency about 45 seconds. Stir in scallions and serve immediately.

 

From: Vegetables Illustrated: An Inspiring guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes

By: Cook’s Illustrated