This one pan meal is easy, delicious, and a great way to use up produce at the end of the week. One of my favorite things about this dish is how easily it can be modified to your own tastes, but here is the framework to get you started!
Ingredients: (with suggested measurements for two servings)
Veggies:
- sweet onion
- carrot
- red bell pepper
- bok choi
- Other good ideas: mushrooms, broccoli, whatever you enjoy!
Sauce:
- water (3 tbsp)
- corn starch (1 tbsp)
- rice vinegar (1 tbsp)
- sesame oil (1 tsp)
- coco aminos (3tbsp)
- chili sauce (.5 tbsp)(or whatever you like for a little spice)
Shrimp
Garlic
Ginger
Sesame seeds (optional)
Rice
How to make it
I made this recipe one day when I had a bunch of veggies that I needed to cook with and was not sure what to make. I knew I had shrimp in the freezer and I always have rice, so ba-da-bing ba-da-boom stir fry it is! This is not a fancy or detailed recipe that requires high level cooking expertise, which is why I love it. It looks and tastes appealing while being quick and super easy for a delicious meal after your nine to five or a long day with kids (I imagine).
The Rice and the Sauce to Start
I used a rice cooker for my rice so I can set it and forget it. I tend to make a cup for one meal plus leftovers, so adjust accordingly.
Then I started by making the sauce. In a bowl I whisked together water and corn starch then added rice vinegar, sesame oil, coco aminos as a soy sauce substitute, and chili sauce.
Now for the Veggies and Protein
After setting that aside, I rough chopped the veggies to include: sweet onion, carrot, red bell pepper, and one head of bok choi. Those are the veggies I used, but the options are truly endless. If I had them on hand, I would have added broccoli and mushrooms, personally.
I also rinsed and shelled my shrimp and dried them with a paper towel. Shrimp makes SUCH a beautiful and simple protein source. Am I right?
Cook It!
Now the prep is done and it’s time to cook. I grabbed my sauté pan and cooked the veggies in extra virgin olive oil. I prefer a light cook to maintain the nutrients as much as possible, but you can cook to your preference. I then set the veggies aside and cooked the shrimp in the pan. At this point you can add a little sesame oil to the pan with the shrimp for more flavor, if you like it. I seasoned the shrimp with onion, garlic and ginger powder and just a dash of salt. Once the shrimp are just cooked through, I also removed them from the heat.
Okay so I fibbed a bit, there is a tiny bit more prep work. If you have it and like it, to add depth of flavor and nutritional benefit, I put fresh ginger and garlic in the pan for the final saute of this dish. I just minced the garlic and ginger but you can also use a fine grater. I then added them to the pan and let them cook maybe a minute or two, just until fragrant. Then I added the sauce to the pan. I stirred this on low/medium heat as the sauce thickened for just a minute or two before adding the shrimp and veggies back into the pan to reheat.
An Optional Bok Choi Treat
This step is totally optional, but I LOVE bok choi, so I also poached a head of bok choi in boiling water for about 4 minutes to add to the side of this dish. All this required was bringing a pot of water to boil and placing the full head in the pot (after rinsing it of course). I cut the base of the bok choi off before eating it, but leaving it intact keeps the shape together while it poaches. You can also poach and then dry the bok choi before adding it to the tor fry if you want it to be a bit more cooked than the other veggies.
Time to Eat
To feast, I simply served the veggie and shrimp mixture over rice and topped the dish with sesame seeds. You could add basil too if you like a little extra peppery flavor. I hope you enjoy the vibrance and ease of this recipe as much as I do. Dig in!
Leave a Reply