Wok It Out!

I recently paid my first visit to HomeGoods – my new favorite store ever! I feel the same way as I felt when I discovered Charming Charlie.  Why in the hell hasn’t somebody told me about this place sooner?  While Charming Charlie is full of fantastic accessories, HomeGoods has tons of stuff for the home, and most importantly, the kitchen.  I walked around the store and ooh-ed and aah-ed for about an hour and ended up leaving with a new wok, a heavy duty baking sheet and some fancy wok oil.

The next day, armed with my new goodies, I headed to the kitchen to whip up a yummy stir-fry.  This savory stir fry can be served with white or brown rice but I personally prefer noodles.  Noodles absorb the sauce and integrate well into the dish.

Mise en Place

Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with Noodles

8 oz. Linguine (I use Dreamfield’s pasta because it’s relatively low carb)

2 Tbsp. oil (I used my fancy new oil but regular vegetable oil works well)
1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp (Buy wild caught whenever you can.  You can taste the difference) 
1 cup snow peas
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 generous squirt of tube ginger or fresh grated ginger to taste
1 generous squirt of tube chilies or red pepper flakes to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tbsp. mild curry paste - readily available at most grocery stores or at Super H ( I like to use mild curry paste because that way I can adjust the level of heat to my taste.  I like spicy, but not “burn your face off” spicy.)
Salt and pepper

Try to find these in your produce department.  They are a great
way to add a lot of flavor instantly.  I buy them at Publix.

First things first, prepare your mise en place.  Mise en place translates in French to “putting in place” or a fancy way of saying cut up all of your veggies ahead of time.  This is especially important when wok cooking because it goes so quickly that you don’t want something to overcook while you are frantically cutting up the next ingredient.  The veggies I used are one option, feel free to use whatever vegetable combination works for you.

Cook linguine in salted water according to box instructions. In the meantime, heat the oil in a wok or a frying pan over high heat. Add shrimp and stir-fry about 1-2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp is cooked through. Remove shrimp from the wok and hold it in a bowl while you move forward with next step.

Throw the veggies in and stir constantly at a high heat. 
You are going for crisp-tender.

Add snow peas, bell pepper, onion, tube ginger, tube chilies and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, soy sauce, and curry paste. Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. Boil for 2 minutes to thicken slightly. Add the shrimp and cooked linguine and toss to warm the shrimp and coat the noodles with sauce.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Fresh veggies, Georgia Wild Caught Shrimp and a savory
sauce on low carb noodles.  I'll take it!

This dish is a favorite at our house.  It is a good master recipe that you can change the protein and two or three ingredients and have a completely different dish.  Try chicken and asparagus, beef filet and broccoli or pork tenderloin and sugar snap peas. Stir-fries are quick, easy and perfect for weeknight meals.  There are no rules so just be creative!

I will post more stir-fry recipes as I break in my new toy.