Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas (蜜豆蝦, Mat6 Dau6 Haa1)

This looks like a standard shrimp with vegetable (in this case, sugar snap peas) stir fry. What makes this dish different and tasty, is black vinegar. The black vinegar adds a slightly sour taste to the dish, which is balanced by the hoisin sauce, which adds some sweetness. However, this is not a sweet and sour dish, but if you increase the quantities of the previously mentioned ingredients, it can be.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Shrimp (蝦仁, haa1 jan4), shelled and deveined
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
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
1 lb.	500 g.	Sugar snap peas (蜜豆, mat6 dau6)
8 oz.	227 g.	Fried tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6) – 1 package
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Black vinegar (黑米醋, hak1 mai5 cou3)
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)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
½ Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. Prepare the shrimp meat by removing the shells and veins. Marinate the shrimp for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the corn starch, ground white pepper and sesame oil. If marinating the shrimp overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press.
3. Wash and remove the string from the sugar snap peas by grasping the sugar snap pea in one hand and pulling the string the length of the sugar snap pea with the other.
4. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid.
5. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
6. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the black vinegar, 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 and before adding oil. Add the fried tofu and then remove them to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the crushed ginger and garlic. Quickly stir fry the ginger and garlic before adding more oil and then the sugar snap peas. Stir fry the sugar snap peas to brown them. Add some liquid (water, Shaoxing wine) to facilitate heat transfer while browning the sugar snap peas. Add the green onions, the fried tofu, and the shrimp back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
3. When the shrimp have just turned pink, add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. 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.