Cooking Chinese for the Olympics! This is the 2nd recipe in the series…see the end for links
Oh…and there’s a contest in the middle of this post!!!
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Last fall, my parents treated Scott and I to a 10 day group tour around China. Our first stop was Beijing, and first thing I noticed was how clean the city was. I literally could eat off the streets, as there was an entire team of sanitation engineers whose sole job was to scrape gum off the streets and sidewalk. I’m so not kidding - they wore white gloves and could scrape even crusty, 2 week old Bubbalicious in one quick motion.
You could see the entire city was gearing for its big Olympic moment: sleek buildings, sporting stadiums and even beautiful parks were being quickly erected and created almost overnight. There was hardly any traffic for a city of over 17 million and in addition to the gum scrapers, workers were polishing the guard rails that lined the interstate.
But no tricking this smart rat! I knew our tour’s itinerary, including restaurants, shopping, sightseeing and even driving path was carefully planned and regulated by the government. I was half afraid to turn my head around and look out the back window of the tour bus, for fear that the set façade would be replaced by the daily regular.
Well, no matter…I mean, how can I blame Beijing? For if you come to my house for dinner, you’d find last night’s crumbs swept under my rug and mounds of dirty laundry shoved into closets too.
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing many of my favorite Chinese dishes, so that you’re not stuck just ordering take out from your local Chinese restaurant. But today, I want to teach you the secrets of a light, flavorful Chinese stir fry.
Ancient Chinese Stir Fry Secrets (at home)
Restaurant kitchens have extremely high powered stoves, flames that jump so high that your eyebrows will singe just standing in the doorway. At home, especially with electric stovetops, we just can’t get that kind of heat. To compensate, you’ve got take the time to let your wok or pan get super hot and the best way to judge whether it’s hot enough is to hold your hand 6 inches over your wok. The moment you start feeling some serious heat, it’s ready. Seriously, though, don’t try to be all macho and stuff, if it’s hot enough for you to say, “hot!” just pull away.
The second trick is to sear your meat or seafood first, remove from the wok, then cook the vegetables, and then returning the meat or seafood back to the wok towards the end of the stir fry. If you don’t, you’ll end up steaming your meat in the vegetable juices instead of frying it. You want each individual ingredient of a stir fry to sing on its own, instead of becoming a soggy, heavy, mish-mash.
The last trick is a tough one. I know it’s a gut reaction to constantly keep poking, prodding and stirring during a stir fry (which is essential in a massively hot restaurant wok), but resist the urge when you’re frying meat or seafood. When you first put your meat in the wok, spread it out so that the pieces are not touching and use all available surface area. Now, step away! Let the meat have a chance to sear. If you keep messing with it, the protein never has a chance to develop that wonderful carmelization and you’ll end up with mushy meat.
In this Stir Fried Shrimp, Eggs and Peas dish, you’ll practice all three of these secrets. You’ll let the oil heat up before adding the shrimp, spread out the shrimp so that they don’t touch and just let it sear. Once cooked, you’ll remove the shrimp and add it back in when the eggs are almost set. This will give you a light/firm/crisp/crunch/springy shrimp - a sure sign that you’ve cooked the shrimp properly.
STOP! I need a word or two that elegantly describes the texture of perfectly cooked, fresh shrimp. It’s the feeling in your mouth when you bite into the shrimp - “light/firm/crisp/crunch/springy” just doesn’t capture it quite right. There is a Chinese word for it (to not give Chinese speaking advantage on this contest, I’m not going to tell what that word is) - but I can’t find the right English words to match. The first person to come up with the best word or phrase wins a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!!
Stir Fried Shrimp, Eggs and Peas
I always have a bag of frozen peas/carrots (and in this case just peas), some frozen shrimp and eggs on hand. When I’m cooking Chinese food and need just one more dish to make the meal complete, this is one of my go-to dishes.
In this recipe for Stir Fried Shrimp, Eggs and Peas, I’ve chosen to fry the chilies and garlic separate from the eggs and shrimp, using it as a topping. This is because my kids are eating this dish too - and they can pick the parts where the chilies are not touching.
I know you’ve been taught not to burn garlic, as it can be bitter and ruin the entire dish. But in this case, the garlic is fried to a crisp - it provides a wonderful texture. Since it’s a TOPPING - and not the base of the dish (i.e. I’m not cooking the garlic first and layering ingredients/flavors on top of the garlic) - the very slight bitterness is a welcome, especially nestled against the chili pepper’s sweet heat.
1/2 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined and patted very, very dry
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 large mild chili (anaheim, Hungarian wax), thinly sliced
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
cooking oil
in a bowl, combine shrimp, salt, pepper, cornstarch and sesame oil, let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to marinate.
In a wok or large saute pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil, swirling to coat the wok. When the oil is very hot (hold your hand 6″ above the wok surface), add the shrimp (the shrimp should sizzle loudly upon contact) and spread out around the cooking surface. Let fry, untouched for 1 minute.
Flip shrimp and fry for an additional minute, or until cooked through. Remove the shrimp from wok to a plate, leaving as much cooking oil in the wok as possible.
Keep the heat on high, add the garlic and sliced chilies and fry until fragrant and the garlic is crispy, about 30 seconds. Remove from wok to a small dish and wipe the wok clean with paper towels. Return the wok to high heat and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. When the oil is hot (a drop of egg should sizzle immediately), pour in the eggs and gently stir for 1 minute, until almost set but still a little runny in the middle. Season the egg with salt and add the shrimp and the peas to the wok and stir to mix well until the eggs are completely cooked through. Dish to serving plate and top with the fried garlic and chilies.
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Other great Chinese dishes
Sesame Shrimp with Honey Mustard Sauce
Shrimp and Mango Firecrackers
Ground Beef with Beijing Sauce Over Noodles
Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Potstickers
Xiao Long Bao - Steamed Shanghai Soup Dumplings
Wonton Noodle Soup
July 24th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Hey, you’ve made it just the way I like it! heavy on the shrimp! We have this all the time at home and the kids just eat the egg part! they break out in eczema when they eat prawns…more for me! I like the garlic/chili thingy you did. Good idea! and pretty too!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:37 am
I’ve made tons of this kind of thing, but usually it’s nowhere near this elegant…generally more of a clumsy ‘use up the leftovers’ kind of thing. I like that topping also, looks nummy.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Those r great tips Jaden! I’m going to be practicing that.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:46 am
Can you come to our house and cook this dish? The above looks absolutely gorgeous and our dishes don’t turn out like that! Ergo, you have to come to our house and cook it for us.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:18 am
The first word that comes to mind is toothsome. Or succulent (which sounds much sexier).
Thank you so much for the tips! I had to make the transition from a gas stove to electric a couple of years ago, and stir-frying has become more challenging.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:38 am
That phrase would be “just right.”
Interestingly, I just finished reading the section on texture in Fuchsia Dunlop’s Chinese food memoir, “Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper.” You really should check out this book, if you haven’t already. It has explained a lot of things about Chinese food that I didn’t know before or which had baffled me. (The love of sea slug, for example, which to me is like eating a bicycle tire. Turns out it’s all about the texture.)
July 24th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Was it “QQ” that you were thinking of Jaden.
I’m going for “Supple”. =)
July 24th, 2008 at 3:09 am
normally i heard the cantonese making comments about shrimps (or other things) being “chewy” in a positive way, i.e. it is light/firm/crisp/crunch/springy/succulent/supple
It could be hard to accept, as in English, we think of “chewy” = rubbery
I am totally making this up, but I wanna polish the Cantonese “chewy” into something positive, so CHEW-A-LICIOUS it is
he-he-he
July 24th, 2008 at 4:11 am
I always describe the best prawns - esp in eg a CKT [sorry, Char Kway Teow] - as “bursty”. As in, they just burst in your mouth with luscious crunchy sweetness of juices.
Great stir-fry tips … I need help with noodles [eg aforementioned CKT] though. My noodles never want to integrate with the other ingredients, char siew, prawns, greens et al, even if the wok is plenty hot enough & noodles otherwise non-clumped & drained well. Wah!
Love from Australia!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Well, you’re right about being skeptical of the cleanliness. There is a dramatic change once you venture beyond the touristy spots. Many streets off the main boulevards are still dirty and dusty from construction, though the number of sanitation folks have certainly increased. (Oh, and the air, my god.) And while they have installed a lot of public “Western-style” toilets, the squatties still dominate. It’ll be an interesting 2 weeks.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Oh! I know that texture!! I can visualize it! Yes! But all I can think of is that when you bite into it, there should be a tiny crunchy explosion of flavor in your mouth. I’m not sure if that’s a winning description, though, but I think it’s wonderful that there is a word in Chinese just for it. :o) Thank you for the recipe!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:14 am
I’m a big fan of slightly burned garlic - it has a wonderful taste and aroma. I’m surprised they always tell you not to crisp it too much. I would like to add that leaving some skin on the garlic when you fry it also adds tremendous flavor.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I always thing of shrimp as “bursty” with a crisp exterior - a texture similar to grapfruit, but with a crisp edge.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am
um… I meant grapefruit! Yay proofreading.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I’m goin’ for buoyantly crisp, or tenderly springy.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:50 am
These shrimp impart upon my tongue a delicate, crackling, suppleness. Whew, I gotta go lay down now as I have smoke coming out of my ears!! Shouldn’t do so much thinking at one time.
Seriously, thanks for the great tips—this dish looks like a really yummy comfort food.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Jaden, your shrimp look absolutely (whatever that perfect word is?) Just thought I would tell you that I was in Beijing in 2001, and the streets were definitely not that clean. I saw evidence of Olympics preparations everywhere, even then, and I’m guessing they’re really sprucing up the place for the world to see. What a fascinating city though. I would love to go back.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:27 am
These tips are really great. Thank you!!
July 24th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
hhhmmmm….my vote is “crispy like butter”
July 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
crisp tender?
July 24th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Ooo that looks…so delicious! I love shrimp! I am Chinese, but not fluent, so the word my dad uses for the texture of shrimp is right at the tip of my tongue. That word describes shrimp perfectly. I would say shrimp have a tender resilience. That’s the best I can do. =)
July 24th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I would say ‘tender and hearty’ is what I fell when I have a properly cooked bite of shrimp hearty as in full and firm but still tender. Hearty can also be spelled hardy and still mean firm and full.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
oops- that should say feel not fell
July 24th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Thanks for the great tips! We’ve shunned the stirfry made at home for all of the negative reasons you’ve listed; mish mash, soggy, heavy. I think we can welcome it back with this delicious recipe.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I’d say that whenevr I bite into a shrimp, it’s at first supple and crisp, then gives way to sweet juices and a mild, tender, salty bite that you have to have over and over and over again. =)
July 24th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Oh man, could you move and be my neighbor? This looks terrific! It has great color, texture, and nutritional value, too. I love dishes like this. I can’t think of an existing single word to describe the shrimp, so I’ve made one up. It should go “CurShnawp” when you bite into it!
Mmmmm … must have shrimp!
July 24th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Shrimp cooked right is delectable, flavorful, luscious, palatable, and scrumptious!
July 24th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
You know Jaden, come to think of it…one word that truly describes wonderfully cooked shrimp is ooohh sooo heavenly! lol
July 24th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
What a gorgeous shot! Those shrimp are so fantastic looking. I would say “firm, but yielding, like a good wife.”
July 24th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
All I can think of is the Italian ‘al dente’ which means ‘to the tooth’, I think. Succulent was the second thing I thought of. Will either of these do?
July 24th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
This looks delish. I wish my DH liked shrimp, oh well I will make it anyway he can leave the extra perfectly cooked- Tender density- of fresh shrimp.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I was thinking that perfectly cooked shrimp are “bubble-crunchy”, like if one were to bite into a firm-enough orange. In Japanese, the word that best fits this texture is “puri-puri”, so perhaps the pseudo-English “purdy purdy” would fit the bill, huh? And I know TWO Mandarin Chinese terms for perfectly cooked shrimp - one I learned from the Iron Chef, and the other I learned from an old cookbook
July 25th, 2008 at 2:22 am
It sounds pretty unappetizing, but the word I thought of was “turgid,” which describes something that is swollen or distended. The shrimp should be cooked such that the outside feels like it is pulled taut over the juicy, delicious, inner flesh…but, um, succulent seems to be the more appealing descriptor.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:25 am
Add in rice and there, looks like another perfect fried rice concoction from fried-rice expert…YOU
Back on the perfect word, hahaha…I don’t know! If I were to put in the string of Chinese description into a translator, it’s going to spout me a string of Chinglish! ahhahahah…eg. “slippery tender not old”….LOL!
Errrrrm…I like my shrimps with crisp yet tender texture(spells of fresh shrimps cooked right). So named my shrimps with TENDERICRISP texture! Hahahha….no such word!
July 25th, 2008 at 3:45 am
u are so right that we should leave the food to cook and not to touch it. i used to have this habit of turning it and forgetting what mum always say.
but now I finally learned and yes, the meat turn out so much nicer.
for the word, i dunno if it’s a word, it’s a letter that I would use. “Q”. or sometimes use it in double “QQ”. hehe… we use that at home.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Never could quite get a stir-fry right. Have always been too afraid that I’d burn something if I was to turn the heat up too high!
Hmm.. I guess the perfect shrimp have a
translucent-juicy-crunchiness that cannot be crammed into a single word!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Thanks for the great tips! I always leave the protein in the pan and add the veggies. I can’t wait to try it this way!
July 25th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Snapcrunchewey? Or how about “crunchicious”? Try saying that five times quickly!
July 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for the recipe. It looks simple and delicious.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
A perfectly cooked shrimp should “snap against your teeth when you bite into it, releasing the delicate aroma and slight saltiness of the sea”. Pretty impressive, huh? I mean..I even impressed myself! Love the dish, Jaden, looks delicious.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Mmmmmm…how about delectable and flavorsome Squilla (Latin word for shrimp) that explodes with flavors of x and x, leaving you with a satisfied and content palate..i don’t know….I gotta go get a snack. Continue with your recipes and advice!
I just moved overseas (yes we’re military) with no pot to pi** in, or pots or dishes, but the stove in our temp quarters did have a large baking pan….so I made your French bread from scratch and we ate huge sub sandwiches for three days…my boys asking me again and again to make it again! Just wanted to thank you for that (I never had the courage before, since I always had a bread machine….it was my crutch). Thanks:-))
July 25th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
This looks really good. A nice combination of flavors and some amazing photos to go along with it. Also, thanks for the great stir fry tips! I’m using my wok at least once a week.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Darn, you’re making me hungry for shrimp–my mom’s allergic, so I hardly ever get a chance to cook with it. I guess I would compare a perfectly cooked shrimp to a perfectly ripe fruit…firm with just the right amount of give, no mushiness, and it should explode with flavor and juiciness when you bite into it.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
How about springy? I know the word you mean…but there is no real good word in English. Crisp, tender? Sigh….you know, I’m going to puzzle on this the whole day now. Argh….hate word puzzles…
July 26th, 2008 at 12:37 am
I am thinking….succulent?
July 26th, 2008 at 1:25 am
I believe the Chinese saying Jaden is referring to roughly translates to “Playfully Dances in the mouth” or something to that effect. There is no equivalent in English which made this rather challenging.
I was going to suggest succulent as well, but Betty beat me to the punch so my alternate suggestion is “voluptuously supple”, but from a layman’s perspective, most would relate better with “crunchy and juicy texture”.
July 26th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Shrimps are my fave foods and you make them look … shrimply prawntastic!! (corny =x)
All your advice about the stir fry secrets are awesome … but somehow I feel I’ll always be a noob cook … these techniques are more difficult than it sounds!!
July 26th, 2008 at 11:49 am
The phrase is succulent, plump and bouncy! Feeling hungry now…
July 26th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Sweet and Succulent is the word that comes to mind, followed by moist and tender.
July 26th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Those are great tips for stir-frying and I’m going to definitely use them next time, thanks
July 27th, 2008 at 2:24 am
Here’s my entry into your contest: perfectly cooked shrimp have a “bouncy bite.”
July 27th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
i think the word can be…. snap or snap-tender….
love your website, always beautiful and fantabulous food,recipies, and the personal stories make it great entertainment!!
July 28th, 2008 at 12:59 am
Yum! I’ve made this twice this week so far. It’s so simple and so tasty.
July 28th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Oh, Dang!
Can I attempt to “sound out” (phonetically) the word in Mandarin?
It would be: “tsuay” (all-one-syllable) with a downward accent and it means all those adjectives all in one - crispy, bouncy, firm…
I guess that doesn’t help you much.
I wish there was a single English word because it’s such a wonderful word in Chinese!
July 28th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Hi Jaden - the Shrimp/eggs/peas recipe calls for two portions of salt, but only one gets used in the recipe…
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JADEN: eeps! fixed now!
July 29th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Those great tips should definitely go into the book!
July 30th, 2008 at 3:23 am
That photo is killing me…now I’ll have to restock my shrimp supply!
July 30th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
That looks great. Shrimp and peas are always a great combo.
July 31st, 2008 at 7:56 am
I’m not sure if you’d found your word yet, but when I think of perfectly cooked shrimp, the word tension comes to mind. You want a tender tension. You want that bounce/resistance to your bite but still tender enough that one fast bite is all that is needed instead like an overdone steak or anything over done as a matter a fact. Tender tension… hmmm, I”ll have to think it over.
July 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
How about “yielding crunchyness”?
July 31st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
For the contest I think the right word for the shrimp is…… Crispringy……
Crispy but still with some body that springs back when you bite into it…. Crispringy!
I’m a newby but have a blog also: htt://themerlinmenu.blogspot.com
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
How about “turgid”?
It works for that tense, slight-pressure feeling of a properly cooked shrimp.
And it fits with the “steamy kitchen” idea!
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Yay! Interesting…
August 4th, 2008 at 12:46 am
The word that comes to my mind is succulent!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Crisp tender to the tooth…
August 6th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
faux lobster
August 8th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
I made this for myself last night over brown rice (minus the chili because I didn’t have any), and it was FANTASTIC. And SO EASY. My roommate goes, “mmm, smells like Chinese food!” and I was all, “that’s ’cause it IS Chinese food!” Thanks for the recipe (and all the others — just reading makes my mouth water!).
August 20th, 2008 at 2:22 am
I know this makes me sound like I should be seeing a shrink every week, but I’ve been wondering about the Chinese word for perfectly done shrimp. How long has it been?
But I think I’ve arrived at the word. I blurted it out in the middle of paying for my groceries when I was buying Scallops yesterday. I believe is the word or short phrase is “nun nun de.” The English word tender comes close to the Chinese meaning, but the word also describes the popping sensation when bitten into, not the chewiness when seafood is overcooked. Actually there isn’t a word for that pop feeling in English. A friend over coffee said perhaps crisp, but crisp refers more to a sound, such as uncooked vegetables such as snow peas or an apple. I think this only shows that there aren’t enough people in the English world that has eaten perfectly cooked shrimp. ~sad~ Actually I’ve been thinking it over, there aren’t too many restaurants that have perfect shrimps, the Shicuan place near my home where a friend and I frequent, has really chewy shrimp. Hmmmm….
So the perfect word… unless someone adds it to the English dictionary,doesn’t quite exist in the English language. Well, I go searching it on my free time when I’m bored, or perhaps someone has found the word already?