Monday, May 21, 2012

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Black Beans and Bok Choy




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... Mark Bittman is one of my food heroes.I love the clarity of his writing and the no-nonsense approach he takes to food. I miss his weekly column in the New York Times and he is one of the few food writers whose recipes I keep in a shoebox in my pantry. The box is probably overkill, but I don't really trusts computers, despite the fact I made my living with working with them. As a matter of fact, I have recurring nightmares in which agitated systems programmers converge on a computer room with manuals in hand and my personal computer lies in an intensive care unit trying to fight off a fatal virus which has made it through every firewall known to mankind. It's enough to send chills up and down my spine. So, I bookmark, backup and keep paper copies of certain things, among them Mr. Bittman's recipes. I've been working Chinese black beans and wanted to share his shrimp and black bean stir-fry with you.It is fast and easy and really, really tasty. Bok Choy is now available in supermarkets and the black beans can be found in any Asian grocery store. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. If you have all the ingredients ready to go before you start to cook, you'll find this really easy to do. My only caution is not to overcook the dish. The stems of the bok choy should retain some crunch and the shrimp should be pink but still tender. If you like a slightly thicker sauce for your stir-fry, you'll want to make a light slurry of cornstarch and water and add it just before serving the shrimp. Here's the recipe.

Stir-Fried Shrimp With Black Beans and Bok Choy...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fermented black beans, sold in Asian markets
2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine
1-1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp, in the 20 to 30 per pound size range, peeled
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar, divided use
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided use
1 clove garlic, sliced, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided use
1 pound bok choy or other cabbage, trimmed, washed and dried
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided use
1 tablespoon peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup chicken stock or white wine
1/4 cup minced scallions

Directions:

1) Soak black beans in sherry, wine or water.
2) In large bowl, marinate shrimp in 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sliced garlic, salt and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
3) Separate bok choy leaves from stems; chop stems into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces, and roughly chop leaves.
4) Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil and raise heat to high. When it begins to smoke, add minced garlic and, immediately thereafter, shrimp and its marinade. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon it out of wok or skillet.
5) Put remaining peanut oil in wok or skillet and, when it smokes, add ginger, followed immediately by bok choy stems. Cook, stirring, until bok choy is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, then add leaves. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add 3/4 cup water, stock or white wine and let it bubble away for a minute.
6) Return shrimp to wok or skillet and stir; add black beans and their liquid, scallions, and remaining sugar and soy sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Turn off heat, drizzle remaining sesame oil on top, and serve. Yield:3 to 4 servings.








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19 comments :

Anonymous said...

What a stunning seafood asian dish my friend :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

Boy this looks great!

Tanna said...

This one sound like another winner, Mary! You've made me nervous about the computer thing! LOL! Better print myself out some favs today. ;) Hope you have a wonderful week. blessings ~ tanna

From the Kitchen said...

My only problem with Mark Bittman is that The Baker turns to him more than he turns to me for cooking assistance! It's just jealousy because The Baker and Mark come up with some delicious offerings!

Best,
Bonnie

Kim said...

Ok, I gotta have to put my hands on fermented black beans! Because this stir fry looks delicious and flavorfull!

Unknown said...

Mary - this looks so yummy. My family, especially me! would LOVE this!

Unknown said...

I think I've had that same nightmare, Mary!! :)
I adore stir fry's, as you know, and I'm loving this one too! I don't use bok choy often enough, it's perfect for stir frys!

Anonymous said...

this is lovely and the orange sheet cake makes desert, all set!

Ola said...

shrimps and bok choy - I absolutely love it!

Greetings!

Shawn @ I Wash...You Dry said...

Yum! Looks sooo good!

France@beyondthepeel said...

bok choy is one of my absolute favorite greens. Not only because it tastes great but cooks really fast too. The black been sauce is a lovely addition sure to compliment this dish. Thank you for your inspiration.

Suzie said...

The recurring nightmare made me laugh! I have never had bok choy, it just became available here. The dish looks delicious.

Angie's Recipes said...

It looks delightful. I don't have any cookbook from Mark Bittman...can you believe it?! I need to add a couple of them to my X'mas wish list ;-)

Elsa said...

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your recipe looks amazing. :) I'm actually having a giveaway right now and would love for you to enter if you have time.
http://www.elsacooks.com/2012/05/product-review-giveaway-cascal.html

Ana Regalado said...

You've been making some scrumptious Asian-inspired dish these past few weeks ! Love this simple and flavorful dish ! Yummy !

Catherine said...

Dear Mary, I get nervous too about computers and viruses. I like the old paper and pencil approach.
This does sounds delish! I just love making my own "take out".
Blessings dear friend. Catherine xo

Claudia said...

This is a beauty. You do have an eye for recipes. I have a folder also - of paper recipes. You never know....

Rambling Tart said...

This looks so healthy and savory, Mary. I love shrimp and am always eager to try new recipes. :-)

Anonymous said...

This looks wonderful. I think this will be a meal this weekend. I love shrimp as it reminds me of growing up on the Coast of North Carolina.

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