Sizzled Five-Spice Shrimp With Red Pepper
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1½pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½teaspoon five-spice powder (see Note)
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 2tablespoons Chinese rice wine, sake or dry sherry
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- 2pounds baby bok choy or mustard greens, trimmed
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6ripe, red Fresno chiles, split lengthwise, seeded and cut into thin strips (or use 2 large bell peppers)
- 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1teaspoon grated fresh garlic
- ¼teaspoon cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes
- 1teaspoon sesame oil
- 1teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
- ¼cup slivered scallions, for garnish
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
273 calories; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1062 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Spread shrimp out in one layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly on both sides with salt, sugar, then five-spice powder.
- Step 2
Transfer shrimp to a large bowl and drizzle with soy sauce and rice wine. Sprinkle with cornstarch and gently toss shrimp with hands or spoons until well coated. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes (or cover and keep refrigerated up to 2 hours).
- Step 3
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add bok choy or mustard greens and simmer until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and arrange on a large serving platter. Keep warm.
- Step 4
Set a wok or large cast-iron pan over high heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add the shrimp in a single layer. (Work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding.) Let shrimp brown nicely on one side, about 1 minute, then turn with tongs and finish cooking the second side. Transfer cooked shrimp to the platter of blanched bok choy, placing on top of greens.
- Step 5
Add chile strips to oil in wok, sprinkle lightly with salt and cook about 1 minute, until softened, then add ginger, garlic, cayenne and sesame oil. Let mixture sizzle briefly, just until fragrant, then carefully spoon it over shrimp.
- Step 6
Sprinkle with sesame seeds; garnish with slivered scallions, cilantro and lime wedges and serve.
- You can buy five-spice powder at any Asian market or online. To make your own, mix 1 teaspoon each of finely ground Sichuan pepper, fennel seed, clove, star anise and cinnamon. Store any leftover mixture in a small jar.
Private Notes
Comments
The steps are no different than a regular weekday stir fry. The problem is that if the recipes are written less "fussily", people write in asking things like "should I salt and pepper both sides of the shrimp?", and "do I grate or crush the garlic?" Then when the steps are written in such a precise manner, the criticism is that the recipe should not be called "easy". Sheesh!
Seriously? One sheet pan, one large bowl, one blanching pot, one wok and a pair of tongs is too much effort for a quick meal serving 6 people? Stop kvetching already! If your expectation and effort are limited to a one pot meal, try one of Melissa Clark's excellent sheet pan dinners. Or just order in and avoid any effort. Chef Tanis is simply trying to broaden your horizons and teach you some methodology to organize food preparation into discreet steps.
This is very tasty, but the Times has a warped sense of what is "easy". A separate baking tray and bowl just to prepare the shrimp, turning each one just to season them? Cooking in multiple batches, in multiple phases, in multiple pots? Grating garlic and ginger? This is a weekend potchke, not a weeknight dinner. (This problem is not just this recipe, or just Mr. Tanis. The Times does this all the time.)
So we made this with shrimp and asparagus. I was looking for something other than the usual stir fry combo of garlic, ginger and some soy sauce. I marinated the shrimp in 5 spice powder plus some cornstarch and rice wine. Then followed the recipe except for stir frying the asparagus after the shrimp with the aromatics and adding a glug or two of chicken brother to create more sauce. It was excellent. Look8ng forward to trying it with baby bok choy as soon as they appear at our farmers’ market.
Added yellow peppers and asparagus. Can consolidate many steps by mixing all shrimp ingredients in one bowl and cooking everything in one pot. Cook shrimp 80%, remove and add back at end with all veggies to finish. Beautiful and tasty!
My version was "Four Spice Sizzled Shrimp" because I didn't have any star anise on hand. It turned out delicious nonetheless. Served with rice. It was a hit. I'll definitely make it again.