Chinese New Year starts this weekend on Sunday; the Year of the Tiger.
So, naturally, all of the French supermarkets are filled with Asian food, mostly Vietnamese, (think about it people) with a bit of Japanese and Chinese thrown in for flavor.
It all works well for me - and most other people. I freely mix and match the cuisine, techniques and flavors from the east - much the same as I do the flavors from the west.
When I want to be proper, I have the '1,000 Chinese Recipes' cook book.
I'm so rarely proper.
But then, the last Chinese buffet I went to had Sweet and Sour Frog Legs....
Despite the snow and cold, the mangetout, or snow peas are back for spring.
The bright green pods make this a showy dish, delicious served on fluffy, fragrant Basmati Rice.
12oz cleaned shrimp 350gr, 12.3oz cleaned
5oz snow peas (mangetout) 150gr, 5.3oz
3/4 cp water chestnuts 100gr, 3.5oz
4 - 5 green onions 48gr, 1.7oz
2 cloves garlic 8gr, .28oz
1 tbs minced fresh ginger substitute 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbs fresh, snipped chives
2 tsp sesame or walnut oil 9gr, .32oz
2 tsp olive oil 9gr, .32oz
1/2 cup chicken stock 112gr, 4oz
2 tbs dry sherry 30gr, 1oz
1 tbs cornstarch (Maizena, corn flour) 8gr, .28oz dissolved in
1 tbs soy sauce plus 1 tbs water 16gr, .56oz
Basmati Rice
To Prep: Peel and clean shrimp if needed. Trim the green onions, slicing off the root and removing 1 layer. Thinly slice, using some of the darker green. Mince garlic and ginger (peel it first). Snip chives. Trim snow peas, cutting the ends off. Open and drain water chestnuts; slice the large ones. Dissolve cornstarch in soy sauce and water.
To Cook: Heat oils in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to skillet and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add garlic, ginger, shrimp, stir-fry 1 minute, until shrimp start to curl and turn opaque. Add snow peas, water chestnuts, and stir-fry 1 - 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and sherry, bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixture, stir until cleared and thickened. Stir in chives. Add more soy sauce if desired, according to taste.
To Serve: Arrange Basmati on a large platter. Spoon Shrimp and Snow Peas on top and serve.
Basmati Rice
Simple, fragrant, fluffy, quick-cooking ....for me, the perfect white rice for a side dish.
1/2 cup Basmati rice 90gr, 3.2oz
1 tsp butter 5gr, .17oz
1/2 tsp sesame or walnut oil 2gr, .07oz
1 cup chicken stock 225gr, 8oz
Heat butter and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and sauté, stirring for 1 - 2 minutes. Add stock or water. Cover and cook rice for length of time on package. When done fluff with fork and serve.
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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories: 1186 / 596
Total Carbohydrates: 126 / 63
Dietary Fiber: 9 / 4.5
Total Fat: 35 / 17.5
Saturated Fat: 7 / 3.5
Cholesterol: 550 / 275
Protein: 88 / 44
Calcium: 252 / 126
Sodium: 2015 / 1007.5
Glycemic Index: low
I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it. I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.For more recipes check out my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners
