SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS STIR FRY

Stir frying (Chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a Chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West.

Scholars think that wok (or pan) frying may have been used as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) for drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. Well into the 20th century, while restaurants and affluent families could afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking techniques remained boiling and steaming. Stir fry cooking came to predominate over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in the West spread beyond Chinese communities.

SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS STIR FRY

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1 pound large raw shrimp (peeled & deveined)

1 pound asparagus (ends trimmed and each stalk cut into 2-3″ pieces)

1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)

1 teaspoon minced ginger (Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Lemon Sauce

2/3 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the lemon sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to pan in a single layer and cook for about 3 minutes, turning them over to cook both sides. Season shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Shrimp should be beginning to pink on both sides and be opaque, but just slightly undercooked. Remove from frying pan and place shrimp on a plate.

In same frying pan, heat another 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook until asparagus is tender-crisp, bright green, and just barely beginning to brown. Season asparagus with 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more if needed). Add ginger and garlic and stir to combine with asparagus. Cook for another 30-45 seconds or so.

Pour in lemon sauce mixture into frying pan with asparagus. Add shrimp back into pan and combine sauce with asparagus and shrimp. Simmer for about a minute or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and serve.