Gong Bao Shrimp with Cashews
Ingredients:
Main ingredients:
9 oz (250g) peeled raw shrimp, fresh or defrosted
10 dried chiles
5 scallions, white parts only
1 celery stick
1¼ cups (300ml) cooking oil
½ tsp whole Sichuan pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
An equivalent amount of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup (75g) fried or roasted cashews
For the marinade:
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp potato starch
1 tbsp egg white
For the sauce:
3 tsp superfine sugar
¼ tsp potato starch
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp light soy sauce
2½ tsp Chinese black vinegar
Methods:
Preparation:
With a sharp knife, make a slit lengthwise down the back of each shrimp, through the thickest part. Place in a bowl, add the marinade ingredients and refrigerate, preferably for a few hours.
Snip the chiles in half or into ¾-inch (2cm) sections and shake out the seeds.
Cut the scallion whites into ½-inch (1cm) slices.
Cut the celery at an angle into diamond shapes.
Combine the sauce ingredients with 1½ tbsp cold water in a small bowl.
Cooking:
Heat the oil in a seasoned wok to 300°F (150°C) (hot enough to produce a notable, though not violent, sizzle around a test shrimp).
Add the shrimp, separating them with long cooking chopsticks or tongs, then add the celery. When the shrimp are half-cooked, remove them and the celery with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
Carefully pour off all but about 3 tbsp of the oil from the wok and return to high heat. Add the chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until the chiles are fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry until you can smell them. Tip in the shrimp and celery and stir-fry until just cooked (test a shrimp to make sure).
Give the sauce a stir, pour into the wok, and stir as the sauce thickens and coats the shrimp.
Finally, stir in the cashews and serve.
By: Fuchsia Dunlop
Developed by: Brin Xu
