Ginger Shrimp with Sesame Rice and Orange Garlic Veggies

One of my favorite stores is the oriental market, they have more fantastic sauces, spices, fresh, frozen, and a million more flavorful substances inch for inch than just about any other place I go, for their size even more than my favorite gourmet market. They have an amazing variety of things, everything from food, to dishes, to video tapes, alcohol.. etc… you name it they have it. And all of the spices, sauces, frozen food, and  canned ingredients are cheaper than just about anywhere else. For $20 I can walk out of there with several sauces and spices, a few packages of frozen won tons and spring rolls, some exotic veggies, ½ pound of paper thin sliced rib steak I make oven dried oriental beef jerky out of and something to drink. Consequently I have a cupboard and refrigerator full of wonderful sauces which I liberally combine at any chance I can. Which is where this recipe comes from.  I like to use the mixed oriental mushrooms in a can in the vegetables because you get several kinds of fungi in a quick can but feel free to use whatever kind of mushrooms you want. Because they are canned I like to cook them in a little butter for about 10 or 15 minutes before using them to get some of the water out and it gives them a richer browned flavor and a firmer texture. If you use button mushrooms this also works well to make them a little more flavorful and firmer also, add a touch of salt as well and cook them until they lose their liquid before you add them to the other veggies.

Shrimp Sauce

1 tablespoons chili garlic paste

1 tablespoons sweet soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Mix chili paste, sweet soy and vinegar together and set aside.  Peel devein and butterfly shrimp.

Sesame Rice

2 cups jasmine rice

4 cup water

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon 5-spice seasoning

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Rinse rice and place in saucepan with water and salt and bring to a boil, turn heat down to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes and turn off heat and let pan set while preparing the vegetables. After you get the veggies done to the last step pour the sesame oil in a frying pan and add the rice, soy sauce and 5-spice and mix together well. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with onions and seeds and put a lid on it to keep warm while you cook the shrimp.

Orange Garlic Veggies

1 small can mixed oriental mushrooms

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup any edible pod peas

1 cup asparagus, broken into 1 inch long pieces

½ cup water chestnuts

1 tablespoon black bean garlic paste

¼ cup orange juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Heat butter in a frying pan and add canned mushrooms and cook until they lose their liquid and firm up a bit, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile steam the peas and asparagus for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the peas, asparagus and water chestnuts to the mushrooms. Stir in bean paste, orange juice and soy sauce and let heat until liquid reduces while you finish the rice.

Shrimp

1 ½ pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined, and butterflied

1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons fish sauce

Heat oil over medium heat and add shrimp and cook about 5 minutes on side one and then turn them over and add ginger and garlic and cook until shrimp look almost done and sprinkle fish sauce over them for the last minute or two of cooking.

Place the shrimp on a platter and sauce on the side. Serve with Sesame Rice and Orange Garlic Veggies.