Main Course: Shrimp Stir-Fry

when you tell someone you're moving to NYC the first thing you hear is, "it's VERY expensive.." - if not the first, it's the second, or soon to come up in the conversation. me and my partner agree that if you are not in the young social set or come from old money then you are part of the chic middle class that watches their money, like most Americans. one thing we try to do in our house is keep our grocery list to a minimum, as mentioned in an earlier post, by using our weekly menu and budgeting day by day.

one of our favorite meals to prepare is stir-fry - not only is it cheap to load up on veggies, but it's wonderful for locking in the vitamins, fresh flavors, and crisp! the trick is to make sure you are using your Wok correctly - cooking with a wok can be a tricky process, but one that i will walk you through.

the number one piece of advice i can give you, above all else, is to make sure you wash and prepare all vegetables up front. Wash the veggies, cut/cube the meat, or in this case, prepare the seafood and allow them to sit and drain. Damp food can cause splatters while you cook, and splatters will either make a mess, or cause a burn - the other thing damp food will do, is cause your food to steam instead of stir-fry. after your food is properly prepared you will want to heat the wok for at least 30 seconds before you add the oil - letting the oil heat with the wok will cause the food to stick, but adding it after the wok is heated will allow your food to fry, and cook quickly.

when adding the food, try not to overload the wok - start with your flavors first (i.e. garlic, onion, ginger etc.), then add the veggies that are a little more dense (carrots, green beans, etc), finally add your seafood and greens. it's important to make sure you are moving the food over the heat - the reason the wok is has high walls is to allow the food to go from heat to a cooler surface, allowing the food to retain its crisp. you should be cooking, and stiring for about 7 minutes. your final step is to add the sauce - make sure when adding, you are allowing the sauce to ooze down the side of the pan so it's cooking with the food, and not directly ON the food.

so without further adieu here is the recipe:

Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Canola or Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, Sliced

Fresh Ginger, Sliced

1/4 Red Onion quartered

3 Scallions, Roughly Chopped

1 Lg Carrot, Roughly Chopped

3 Lg Leaves of Swiss Chard, Roughly Chopped

1/2 Can Baby Corn, Rinsed & Drained

Handful of Green Beans, Washed & Trimmed

10 Shrimps, Washed & Prepared

1/2 Cup Sauce (Sesame Teriyaki)

Once ingredients are prepared and dry - Pre-Heat wok over Med. High flame (30 seconds). Place hand hovering over inside of wok, once you feel the heat add oil. Start with garlic, ginger, and onion making sure to keep food moving - about 1 minute. Add your Carrots, Scallions, Corn, Green Beans making sure to briskly move the food up the sides of the Wok, allowing it to roll back down to the heat - about 1 minute. Finally, add your Swiss Chard and Shrimps while keeping all food moving - about 3 minutes. Once Greens are heated through add your sauce down the side of Wok, allowing it to run into the heat and coat as your stir the veggies. Once shrimps are cooked transfer to plate (as seen above).

ENJOY!

all ingredients used were Certified Organic