My wife and I love Asian food and kung pao anything is one of our favorites. I found some beautiful extra large shrimp on sale at the market and decided to try my hand with this succulent dish. Full disclosure, some of my ingredients are not typical of authentic kung pao, but we loved it and so did our company. I hope you enjoy it as well.
MISE EN PLACE
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used extra large shrimp)
- 1/2 Cup onion cut in large pieces (about 1/2 inch)
- 1/2 Cup green bell pepper cut the same as the onion
- 1/2 Cup celery cut crosswise in 1/8 inch pieces
- 1 Cup of snow peas, edges trimmed
- 1/2 Cup unsalted peanuts
- 1/2 Cup corn starch
- 1 Cup crimini mushrooms sliced
- 2 Tsp grated ginger
- 2 Tsp grated garlic
- 1/2 Cup kung pao sauce (I used a bottled sauce found in the Asian section of my market)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- Peanut Oil
- 1 Cup Jasmine Rice
- 2 Cups water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Start your rice by sauteing it with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a medium pot with a lid.
- Saute until most of the grains become opaque with out browning.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the water and bring to a full boil.
- Cover and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid during those 30 minutes.
- With 15 minutes left of the rice to cook, begin your kung pao shrimp. (You can do this with chicken, beef or, if you are a vegetarian, with tofu)
- Place your peeled and deveined shrimp in a bowl (make sure the shrimp are not wet) and toss with the corn starch and set aside. The mixture will be wet and milky by the time you are ready to use it.
- Heat a wok or pan until it is smoking.
- Add approximately 1/4 cup of peanut oil and begin sauteing, on high heat, the snow peas, onion, celery and bell pepper until you see some browning on the vegetables.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue sauteing on high heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Remove all the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of peanut oil in the wok and drop the shrimp in and begin to stir fry until they are cooked through and have a golden brown color.
- Add the vegetables, kung pao sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.
- Stir to combine and turn out on a serving dish.
By this time your rice should be done and you are ready to eat. If you like a little heat in your dish, which I do, try making my hot chili oil. It is fantastic, especially on Asian food.