Hallie's Sunday stir-fry

HALLIE EPHRON: Shrimp stir-fry is in regular rotation in our house, usually using up whatever vegetables we have in the fridge and starting with frozen shrimp which I always have on hand.

It works best if the vegetables include sweet red pepper and mushrooms (make mine shittake). Plus fresh garlic and fresh ginger. And a sauce that includes a healthy dollop of hoisin and a squirt of hot sauce. Top with handfuls of fresh chopped cilantro and scallions and serve over rice.

Substitute or omit ingredients to suit your taste. (You can make it with strips of pork or chicken instead of shrimp, just for example.)

Cooking takes less than ten minutes minutes.
Prep takes about twenty minutes.

EVERYDAY SHRIMP STIR FRY - serves 2

INGREDIENTS
1-2 cloves of garlic
1" of fresh ginger root 
1 medium onion 
About 4-6 cups of chopped veggies (like sliced zucchini, peapods, chopped celery, cut-up broccoli, sliced sweet red pepper, sliced mushrooms...) 
A handful of cilantro 
4-5 scallions
10-14 jumbo shrimp
1 egg
Some cornstarch (for coating egg-coated shrimp)
Hoisin sauce
Soy sauce
Water
Siracha
sesame oil
Peanut oil (for frying)
RICE (leaving it to you on cooking that)


PREP VEGGIES
1. Peel and mince garlic and ginger
2. Peel and chop the onion
3. Chop or slice up the other vegetables
4. Chop cilantro and scallions (they'll go on last)

PREP SHRIMP
1. Peel and devein shrimp (or buy them peeled and deveined. The shrimp in my picture are in water because I was thawing them.)
2. Dry the shrimp and dip each one in egg, then cornstarch, and set aside


PREP SAUCE
Proportions are approximate - adjust to taste. 
MIX 3 T soy sauce, 3 T water, 2 T rice vinegar, 1 T sesame oil, 2 T hoisin sauce, a squirt or two of hot sauce (Siracha.)
If you didn't use cornstarch to coat the shrimp, then add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the sauce so it will thicken.
STIR WELL and set aside.

COOK SHRIMP
1. Heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.
2. When the oil is hot, throw in the cornstarch-coated shrimp. Wait a minute. Turn. Wait.
3. When nearly cooked through (just takes a few minutes) and crispy, remove and set aside.

COOK VEGETABLES
1. In the same pan, turn the heat down a bit and sautee onion first until just translucent.
2. Add the crunchier veggies like red pepper and celery and stir-fry until just starting to soften.
3. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry; when they've softened...
4. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry  until barely done.

ASSEMBLE
1. Dump the sauce over the stir-fried veggies; stir until slightly thickened.
2. Add shrimp; stir.
3. Turn the heat to low and put the lid on the pan.
4. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes or so.
5. Top with cilantro and scallions and serve over rice.