Cashew Shrimp

Borrowing some of the ingredients from the General Tso's (style) Chicken recipe I created in 2009, I threw this dish together for dinner last evening.  I improvised with what I had on hand, but believe this to be a creation worthy of its own posting. I used flash-frozen, pre-shelled, de-veined, tails-removed shrimp, so the prep was a snap - but obviously, you can use fresh shrimp if you want to go to the trouble. You need jumbo-sized shrimp, though, or U-15, which means under 15 shrimp per pound.

You also need a Thai-style hot sauce and the right mixture of sweetness to offset the heat.  There are several Thai hot sauces on the market, so the amount of Splenda (or brown sugar) you use to offset the hotness depends on how much sweetness the sauce contains.  I had Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce on hand, so this is what I used, and only one pack of Splenda.  You may have to experiment to get the right balance of hot and sweet, but this recipe as written seems to work well for this dish. You can learn more about Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce by clicking here.

Ingredients

1 lb U-15 shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails removed
1/2 medium red onion, cut into one inch square pieces
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into one inch square pieces
5 large asparagus spears, woody part removed, cut into one inch pieces
1 cup cooked (or par-cooked) whole grain brown rice (like, Uncle Ben's microwavable cups)
2/3 cup whole cashews
3 green onions, chopped on the bias
1/3 cup peanut oil
3 tbsp Thai-Style Chili Sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry wine
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/3 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
1 packet Splenda (you could substitute a teaspoon of brown sugar)

The Recipe

Drain the shrimp well and squeeze off excess moisture with paper towels.

Mix the chili sauce, sherry, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, five-spice powder and the Splenda in a bowl and set aside.  Taste the sauce.  You want a balance of salt, sweet and heat.  Depending on the Thai hot sauce you use, you may want more Splenda or brown sugar.

Get a wok smoking hot, and add the peanut oil.  Once the oil is shimmering and almost at the smoking point,  throw in the shrimp.  Be careful, they will spit and hiss at you!

Chow the shrimp for just a couple of minutes until they become pink.  (To "chow" is a Chinese cooking term that means to keep the ingredients constantly moving in the hot oil with an instrument by the same name...sort of a long, tapered spatula that generally comes with most woks you buy on the market these days). Don't overcook the shrimp, and remove them to a platter for the moment.

Allow the oil to return to a high temperature, then throw in the red onion and cook for two minutes.  Add the red bell pepper and cook for two minutes more.  You want the onion and the peppers to be caramelizing and browning at the edges.  Add the asparagus and chow for another minute.

Add the sauce mixture and allow to boil and bubble, reducing by about a third.  Add the shrimp and heat through.  Add the rice and chow for a minute, then finish with the cashews and green onion.  Give it all a good turn with your chow, making sure the sauce coasts everything.

Turn out into serving bowls with chop-sticks and enjoy. You'll need a spoon, though, to get every bit of that delicious sauce.