We both love stir-fry veggies. Stir-frying retains the texture and color of the vegetables, so they taste great and make for an appealing, colorful meal. The shrimp provides protein, not to mention that great shrimp flavor. Add a little mandarin sauce and then heap it on top of bean thread. Delicious!
Vegetable selection
Our favorite vegetables are shown here but you should choose the vegetables that you like. That might seem obvious, but this isn’t the time to see if you like something that you’ve heard might be good for you. By choosing what you like, you increase your chances of success and enjoyment. After you have prepared it a couple of times, then toss in something you might like to try. I’m not wild about cooked carrots, but maybe you are. I have a friend who can’t stand bell peppers. The vegetable selection in this recipe is “American-ized”, meaning you won’t find these combos in a typical Asian stir-fry. But that’s what makes cooking fun – making a meal your own by cooking what you like.
Mix up the colors for an appealing plate. For example, if you use bell peppers, choose orange, red, or yellow ones to add color. Or, if you do like carrots, that orange adds some nice color. This is a great way to get all your daily vegetables and have a delicious meal. Some other vegetables that you might try include kale or spinach, cabbage, cauliflower instead of broccoli, snap peas instead of snow peas. It’s up to you. Pick your favorites and chop them up! Cut the veggies into bite-sized pieces.
Four cups of cut-up vegetables is a good amount for two people, so scale up for more people or plan on leftovers if you’re cooking for one.
Stir-fry the vegetables
You’re not going to cook these vegetables at super-high temperatures, so olive oil is a good choice. The sesame oil adds a nice flavor but is not essential to the recipe. Avocado oil is another good option, especially if you want to cook at higher temperatures. Traditional stir-fry techniques do recommend very high temperatures but we cook our vegetables at mid-to-high temperature. For more information about oil choices and why temperature matters, see Cooking with Oils.
Heat the oil in the skillet for a minute or so and toss in your veggie mix. We use a large skillet instead of a wok. It’s fun to cook with a wok, but if you’re only cooking for one or two people, a skillet works fine. We like to sear the outside of the vegetables to retain moisture and keep the vegetables a little bit crunchy. The vegetables in this mix can all be eaten raw, so cooking is just a way to add some flavor and change the texture. Stir the vegetables constantly. Using two heat-resistant spatulas is an easy way to ensure that the vegetable bites are cooked evenly. Stir in some mandarin sauce just before serving. Greens like spinach and kale cook fast, so add them a minute or two before you’re ready to serve. The total stir-fry time is around three-to-four minutes.
Prepare the Bean Threads
If you haven’t ever tried bean thread, you’re in for a treat. They are also called cellophane noodles or glass noodles. Pat lived in China for a while and she introduced me to this noodle-like delight a few years ago. You can probably find them at your local Asian market or even your grocery store, depending on where you live. Straight out of the package, bean threads are white and brittle. When they’re ready to eat, they are almost transparent, hence the name cellophane noodles.
To get them ready, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover them and let them absorb the water for about five minutes. Drain the excess water, then nestle them in a bowl right before you add the stir-fry ingredients on top of the noodles. I like to sprinkle in a few drops of ponzu sauce for a little extra flavor.
If you can’t find bean thread or want to have your stir-fry with shrimp on something else, try it on fresh, steaming brown rice or rice noodles.
Stir-fry Vegetables with Shrimp
Ingredients
- 4 cups of chopped vegetables We use broccoli, zucchini squash, snow peas, mushrooms, and bell peppers
- 1 cup of defrosted salad shrimp
- 2 tablespoons oil avocado or olive oil works great
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons of mandarin sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced or put through a garlic press.
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables (except for the mushrooms; use a mushroom brush on them).
- Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- Defrost the salad shrimp and drain.
- Add the oil and garlic to a large skillet on medium temperature and cook the garlic for a couple of minutes.
- Add the vegetables to the skillet, stirring as you add.
- After the vegetables have cooked for a minute or so, add the salad shrimp
- Stir in the mandarin sauce.
- Cook for about five minutes.
- Put the stir-fry mix on top of bean thread (glass noodles) and enjoy.
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