Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 pound 26-30 Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 each Large Eggs, whites only
2 Tablespoons Shaoshixng wine
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
8 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
¼- ½ cup canola, sunflower oil, or peanut oil
Fresh ginger, peeled cut into 6 each quarter sized pieces
2 each medium Red Bell Peppers, cleaned and cut into ¼” strips
1 each small red onion, cut into ¼” strips
6 each Serrano chilies, remove ribs and seeds, cut lengthwise in quarters. Substituting Thai chilies in place of the Serrano will make a spicier version of the dish
4 Tablespoons fresh Lime Juice (approximately 2 limes)
2 Tablespoons Nam Pla Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinkiang Black Vinegar (Gold Plum brand)
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 ½ Tablespoons Vietnamese Fish Sauce
8 each Fresh Lime Leaves
Steamed Rice if desired
Chinese Soy Sauce
Method of Preparation
1. Whisk together the egg whites, rice wine, kosher salt, and cornstarch.
2. Toss the shrimp in the egg white and rice wine mixture. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Drain the liquid from the shrimp 15-20 minutes before cooking. Reserve the drained liquid.
4. Combine the limejuice, chili-garlic sauce, black vinegar, honey and fish sauce. Reserve until needed.
5. Snip the stem ends from the lime leaves then stack them atop one another. Roll the leaves into a tight cylinder then cut across the cylinder to shred the leaves.
6. Place a medium wok on the burner and bring to heat. Add oil to the wok and swirl until hot. Add the garlic and ginger to the oil and stir-fry for 2 minutes until lightly brown but not burned. Remove the ginger/garlic from the oil and reserve. Return wok to heat.
7. Add the drained shrimp to the wok and stir-fry until they just begin to turn pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
8. Add oil to the wok and return to heat. Add the bell peppers, chilies, and onion to the hot oil and quickly stir-fry. Remove to a warm platter and hold.
9. Return the shrimp and stir-fry. Add the garlic and ginger and the lime juice-fish sauce mixture and toss until the shrimp are covered and the mixture begins to boil.
10. Return the vegetables to the wok and toss with the shrimp mixture. Re-whisk the reserved egg white and rice wine mixture to return the cornstarch into solution.
11. Add the egg white-rice wine mixture to the wok and toss. When the mixture thickens remove the wok from the heat. Toss the shredded lime leaves into the shrimp chili mixture and toss through.
12. Serve immediately with rice and soy sauce.
