Dateline: January 22, 2021 Ma La Shrimp and Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables

 OMG this dinner was superb!  No brag, just fact.  I am in heaven, spice, tingling mouth, crispy veggies and SHRIMP.

Ingredients

2 lb shrimp..... I used frozen

4 scallions, white part cut on the bias, green part cut into 2 inch segments

2 T garlic minced

2 T ginger, minced

3 T Doujiubang chili paste aka Pixian Chili Paste

2 t light soy

1 t dark soy

2 t shaoxing wine, for shrimp marinade

1 t rice wine vinegar

2 oz stock or water

4 T cornstarch or Potato starch 

1 t white pepper

1 t salt

1 t mala powder, ground black and szechwan pepper corns

2 T shaoxing wine or dry sherry, for pan sauce

Peanut or Neutral Oil

Method

1.  Rinse shrimp and devein, if necessary.  Place in a bowl and add white pepper, salt, mala powder, and shoaxing wine.  Mix together and set aside.

2.  Drain shrimp and but into plastic bag.  Add cornstarch or potato starch and mix well.  Each shrimp should be coated with some of the mixture.

3.  Heat enough oil in a wok to shallow fry the shrimp.  Working in batches, fry shrimp until almost done and coating is set.  Place on a sheet pan with a grate to drain off any residual oil.

4.  After frying, drain oil into a dish and wipe wok clean.  Add most of the oil back into the pan, minus any bits of coating floating around in it.  

5.  Reheat wok.  When hot add ginger and garlic.  Stir around for a bit and then add the doujiubang paste and stir fry until ginger and garlic are frying in a red colored oil.  Add in the soy sauces, wine, vinegar, and stock.  Stir to combine and add shrimp back into the pan.  Fry and stir to coat the shrimp well with the sauce.  Sprinkle additional mala powder over the shrimp.  Serve with rice.

Now for the Veggies.  Use whatever is in your fridge.  I had a couple of baby bok choy, some string beans and some brussel sprouts.  I used the microwave to pre cook the sprouts, 2 sessions of 2 minutes each.  That's my micro, yours may differ.

Ingredients

12 oz green beans cut into bite sized pieces

12 oz brussels sprouts, halved and pre-steamed.

3 baby bok choy, cut into quarters,  if necessary, cut quarters in half crosswise

1 T garlic, minced

1 T ginger, minced

3 T Peanut or neutral oil

2 scallions, sliced on the bias for the whites, and greens parts cut into 2 inch pieces

1 t dark soy sauce

1 t light soy sauce

2 T stock or water

1 T cornstarch or potato starch mixed with 1 T cold water

Method

1.  Heat wok and add oil.  When hot, add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add veggies.  Stir fry until the veggies are softened and are fragrant.  

2.  Add soy sauces and stock.  Continue to stir the veggies.  When the liquid comes to a boil, add part of the slurry of starch.  Continue to mix the veggies.  If necessary, add another slurp of the slurry to pull the sauce together and get it to adhere to the veggies.  Serve with rice.

I opened a bottle of bubbly (Cremont) for this, just needed something to celebrate the meal with.  It went surprisingly well!  This was a memorable meal.  The shrimp were tender and spicy.  Begging to be picked up with the hands and fingers getting licked.  The veggies was really good as well.  The string beans were exceptionally sweet!  A nice foil for the spice of the shrimp.