Cooking is something I really enjoy. While trying to stick to our budget recently, I’ve been avoiding extra trips to the grocery store, and so, extra spending. Welcome to my cooking science project that involves only cooking with food I have available in the house! #projectemptythefridge
I started with some frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp (only way to go) and some seemingly random veggies that needed to be used. And it’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine to let food go to waste – if I can avoid it! If you’re using frozen shrimp, allow time to thaw in ice water (if we’re practicing all our food safety skills…)
Chop, slice & dice your veggies. I had a zucchini that was nearing the end of its life, so I decided to throw that in. I thawed a steamable bag of frozen broccoli (that I normally keep stocked) about half way, and sauteed that with the onion in some toasted sesame oil.
Add zucchini once the onion is nearly cooked. You don’t want to add it too soon, or it could potentially turn to mush when it gets overcooked…bleh.
While the vegetables are cooking, blend the rice vinegar, sriracha, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, hot chili oil and soy sauce in a separate container with a whisk. If you’d like to make this sauce thicker, add 1-2 tsp of cornstarch & set aside. This will cause the sauce to thicken as it cooks. This is my preference! As you can see, I keep many of these ingredients stocked!
I like to make a little “well” in the center of the stir fry veggies at this point so that the shrimp are closer to the heat source.
Cook and stir, cook and stir, until your shrimp are firm, curly, and pink. If the shrimp still looks gray, it’s not done yet!
Once the shrimp are cooked through, add the cabbage and allow it to wilt (1-2 minutes). Adding a lid to allow the cabbage to steam a little bit may speed this process up.
Then add the sauce mixture, and stir into the shrimp & veggie mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes more until it begins to thicken. Top with your green onion & sesame seed garnish.
And Voila! We served this over rice & I cooked some pot stickers that I happened to have in the freezer. If you made it, l would love to hear your feedback!
*Tip!: If you don’t have the same veggies I used feel free to sub a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables or come up with your own concoction that would taste great in a stir fry dish. The possibilities are practically endless! And the more colors in there, the better!!
Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb Shrimp (I chose, peeled, deveined, raw)
- 1 bag Frozen Broccoli (If using fresh, about 2 cups)
- 2 cups Chopped Red Cabbage
- 1/2 each Red Onion
- 1 each Zucchini, Sliced
- 2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil (Could sub olive oil, but sesame has the best flavor!)
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Hot Chili Oil
- 2 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp Minced Ginger
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic (Or 2 cloves, if fresh)
- 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tsp Corn Starch (optional)
- 4-6 each Green Onions
- Sesame Seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- If using frozen shrimp, allow to thaw in cold water for ~10 minutes
- Chop & Slice Veggies appropriately. If you don't have any of the ingredients I used, feel free to substitute any ingredients that would taste good!
- Heat Sesame oil in a wok or non-stick skillet, and begin to cook vegetables. Start with the ingredients that will take the longest to cook. Cook the Broccoli & Onion for 3-4 minutes, then add zucchini.
- While the vegetables are cooking, blend the rice vinegar, sriracha, hoisin sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, hot chili oil and soy sauce in a separate container with a whisk. If you'd like to make this sauce thicker, add 1-2 tsp of cornstarch, additionally.
- Make a space in the center of your pan or wok, and add the shrimp. By making a space in the center, the shrimp will be closer to the heat source.
- Cook shrimp with the vegetables over medium heat until the shrimp are pink and curl up. They should not appear gray at all.
- Once the shrimp are cooked through, add the sauce & allow it to thicken.
- Add cabbage, and allow it to wilt. This will happen faster if you cover the pan with a lid.
- Add the sliced green onion & sesame seeds to the top and enjoy! Add soy sauce or sriracha to taste. (I love the heat!)
