Shrimp in red sauce

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds Shrimp; large, uncooked
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Rice wine
Ginger, fresh, 2\" piece
3 Scallions
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
¼ cup Water
1 tablespoon Peanut oil
1 tablespoon Water (or more)
3 tablespoons Peanut oil
3 tablespoons Ketchup
5 tablespoons Water
½ teaspoon Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. Rinse the shrimps well under running water. Pull off legs, but leave the shells on.* Using a scissors, cut a small slit about one-third of the way up the back of the shell. (This will allow the marinade and cooking sauce to penetrate the shrimps more easily. You can, if you want, also remove the dark intestine on the back of the shrimp.)

2. Put the shrimps in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt and the rice wine.

3. Peel the ginger and chop it into small pieces, about the size of a match head. Add 1 teaspoonful of the chopped ginger to the shrimps in the bowl and set the rest aside. Stir the shrimps well, then let stand for at least 30 minutes.

4. Clean the scallions, then chop the white parts into the same size pieces as the ginger.

5. Mix the cornstarch and ¼ c water together in a small bowl.

COOKING: 6. Pour off the excess liquid from the shrimps, but don't rinse them off. (It is all right for the little bits of ginger to remain on the shrimps.)

7. Heat the pan over a fairly high flame for about 15 seconds, then add 1 tablespoon peanut oil. The oil will be hot enough to cook with when the first tiny bubbles form and a few small wisps of smoke appear.

8. Throw in the shrimps and stir-fry them over high heat for 1 or 2 minutes, until they are nearly cooked, using your cooking shovel or spoon in a scooping motion to toss the shrimps around in the pan so they are all exposed to the hot oil. When the shrimps are almost done, they will begin to turn pink and become slightly stiff. (If they seem too dry, you can add a little water during the stir-frying process.)

9. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and let the shrimps cook for 5 minutes more. Then remove them from the pan and set them aside.

10. Clean out the pan by wiping it with a paper towel, then reheat it over a fairly high flame. Pour in 3 tablespoons fresh peanut oil.

When it is hot enough, quickly add the rest of the chopped ginger, scallions, and ketchup and stir-fry vigorously for no more than 10 seconds.

11. Immediately add 5 tablespoons water, the sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt and let the mixture come to a boil. Let it cook for about 1 minute, then return the shrimps to the pan.

12. Stir the cornstarch and water thoroughly to make sure they are well combined, then pour the mixture into the pan. Stirfry the shrimps and the sauce until the sauce has become clear and thick; this should not take more than about 30 seconds.

13. Taste the sauce for salt before you serve it, and stir it up a little on the serving platter just before you bring it to the table.

(This is to make sure that no film has formed on the sauce that would spoil its bright, fresh appearance.) 14. Serve over rice.

Source: "Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook" by Ellen Schrecker.

*NOTE: I've always shelled the shrimp first.

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