Shrimp and Green Beans (青豆角蝦, Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Haa1)

This recipe was updated on 02 Dec 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

This is an easy and tasty dish to make with ingredients available at your local supermarket. In order to reduce the green bean cooking time, they are microwaved first before cooking in the wok. If you had a restaurant strength burner to cook this dish, that step would not be necessary, but for most home cooks this is an easy way to speed up the cooking of the beans.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Prawn or shrimp meat (蝦仁, haa1 jan4)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Tapioca starch (木薯澱粉, muk6 syu4 din6 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Long beans (豆角, dau6 gok3), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
10	10	Button mushrooms (蘑菇, mo4 gu1), cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal
2-3	2-3	Dried red chili peppers (指天椒, zi2 tin1 ziu1), cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces – to taste
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen prawn or shrimp, thaw in a covered container overnight in the refrigerator. Shell and devein the shrimp, and place the shrimp back into the covered container. Submerge the shrimp with water and some ice, and add the baking soda for 30 minutes. Discard the water and wash the baking soda from the shrimp.
2. Marinate the shrimp overnight with the ginger crushed in a garlic press, tapioca starch, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In the USA, the names prawn and shrimp are used interchangeably, with prawn usually meaning a large shrimp; either will work in this dish. Take the shrimp out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Clean and cut the button mushrooms into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces.
4. Wash and cut the green beans into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces, and place into a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave the green beans on high setting in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (depending upon the wattage of the microwave). The aim is to pre-cook the green beans to reduce the cooking time in the wok and the green beans should still be crunchy (not soft) after being microwaved.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Remove any stems from the dried red chili peppers, cut into ¼-inch (7.5 mm.) pieces, and place into the bowl with the crushed ginger and garlic. The amount of red chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the shrimp to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and stir fry until the shrimp just turn pink. The shrimp should look undercooked. You may have to cook the shrimp in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the button mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer them to the bowl with the shrimp.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the red chili peppers. Quickly stir fry the chili peppers to brown them before adding the long beans to the wok. Stir fry the long beans to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the shrimp back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
4. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.