Szechwan Shrimp

Who can pronounce szechwan anyway?  I like to pronounce it "Schhhpicshaywam" (Shhpi-shhay-wan)

But that's just me.

Here's something for you when you're feeling a little spicy.  I took pictures along the way so I will post it P-Dubya style.

Szechwan Shrimp

Let's get mise en place first, so you aren't running around the kitchen at inopportune times, eh?

Here's whatcha need:

1 1/4 lbs fresh or frozen medium shrimp

4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp dry sherry or water

1 Tbsp Oriental chili sauce with garlic (schhhhpicy!)

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/8 tsp salt

salt and pepper for seasoning

1 1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp cornstarch

4 tsp canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups fresh pea pods,. trimmed

6 cups shredded Chinese (Napa) cabbage

2 Tbsp sliced green onions

Let's go Sound of Music for a minute, for no other reason than it's in my head:

Let's start at the very beginning!

A very good place to start..

When you sing you begin with

" Do-Re-Mi"

When you cook, you begin with

"Make the sauce"

(ALL)  "Make the sauce!"

Thanks for humoring a girl.

Onward with the szechwan shrimp!

1.  Peel and devein shrimp.  Rinse shrimp, pat dry with paper towels.  For sauce, in a small bowl combine the 4 tsp soy sauce, the ginger, sherry or water, Oriental chili sauce, 1 tsp cornstarch, sesame oil, and 1/8 tsp salt.  Set aside.

2.  Place shrimp in a medium bowl, sprinkle lightly with additional salt and pepper.  Stir in the 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce and the 1/2 tsp cornstarch, set aside.

3.  In a wok or 12 in. skillet, heat 2 tsp of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic; stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add mushrooms; stir fry for 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper; stir fry for 1 minute. (I used green pepper because le Piggly Wiggly had no red pepper!)  Add pea pods; stir fry for 2 minutes.  Remove vegetables from wok.

4.  Add remaining 2 tsp oil to skillet.  Add shrimp mixture; stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque.  Stir sauce, add it to skillet.  Cook and stir until boiling; cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

5.  Add mushroom mixture and cabbage.  Toss to coat.

To serve, sprinkle with chopped onion.

And enjoy!  Best served with plenty of water for the "Holy Moses that's HOT" moments.  This was another recipe brought to you by the good people of the Sonoma Diet.  This book I have is from 2005, so anyone interested in buying it, fabulous delightful recipes and all, look at amazon where you can buy it used for 16 lil cents.  No kidding!  I see they also have a cookbook used for $6 and I am all over that!