Shrimp and Green Beans

I received some green beans from a friends garden and needed something to make with them.  Not trying to do anything I normally would make, I came up with this idea.  Can’t say I was disappointed and I hope you won’t be either.  There is a little bit of prep but the cook time is fast.  Enjoy, and rage on!

Ingredients

1. 1/2 lb. Shrimp, peeled and deveined
2. 2 cups Green Beans(I used fresh but frozen can be substituted)
3. 1/2 Tbsp. Granulated Garlic
4. 1/2 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
5. 1 Tbsp. Rice Cooking Wine
6. 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
7. 1/2 tsp. Fish Sauce
8. 1 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
9. 1 tsp. Brown Sugar
10. 1/2 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
11. 1/4 tsp. Salt and Pepper
12. Sesame Oil
13. 1 1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
14. 4 Tbsp. Water

Quick Directions

1. Wash and clean green beans.  Remove ends and cut into about 1 inch sections.
2. Peel and devein shrimp.
3. Mix together garlic, ginger, rice wine, soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper.
4. Mix water and corn starch together.
5. Heat wok or frying pan to medium high. Pour in enough sesame oil to coat bottom.
6. Add shrimp and green beans.
7. Cook till shrimp is opaque, or done.  About 3-6 minutes.
8. Add in garlic and other seasonings mixture and cook till begins to boil.
9. Add corn starch mixture.
10. Mix well and cook till sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes.
11. Serve over rice if you want to, enjoy!

Detailed Directions

If you are using fresh green beans, which I highly recommend, then you will want to start by cleaning them.  First rinse them and then cut off the ends and cut them into about 1 inch sections.  I found it to be quicker to just break the ends off and break them in half.

If you don’t have fresh then use frozen.  Canned would probably work but it won’t have that slight crunch or crispness to it once it is done cooking.  And I’m really not a fan of canned veggies.
Also, make sure your shrimp is peeled and deveined.  I bought the shrimp that still had the shell on because it was a little cheaper but if you don’t want to mess with peeling it off go with the already peeled.  One thing you will have to do though is make sure it is deveined.  Usually they are cleaned all the way, but occasionally there is something that needs to be cleaned up.  It is easy to spot too, just look at the back side of the shrimp(or where it is split, as if cut…which it was) and if there is anything black or blue in there, remove it.

Great so we are moving right along.  Next get your seasonings mixed together.  This mixture would include everything but the shrimp, green beans, corn starch, water, and sesame oil.  Mix it up well.  And don’t think you can wait on doing this part.  The shrimp cooks fast so before you start doing any cooking you should already have everything else ready to go.


Next, mix together the water and corn starch.  You will most likely need to give it a quick stir before you poor it in, but mixing ahead of time will make it take less time later.



Okay, so we have everything ready to go, right?  Now it is time for the fun part.  Go ahead and get your wok or frying pan heating.  Medium high is what I would suggest.  Pour in enough sesame oil to coat the bottom of the pan and let it heat up a bit.


Dump in the shrimp and green beans and watch the magic happen.  One thing I love about cooking shrimp is watching them turn color.  It happens so fast that I just find it fascinating.  Toss and turn and stir the food around until all the of the shrimp is done, or opaque. A nice orange color I would call it.  It should only take about 3-6 minutes.

I also put in about 1 clove of minced up garlic after the shrimp and green beans cooked for about 2 minutes.  That is an optional step however, I just really like garlic.

Next put in the mixture of seasonings.  Let it cook till it begins to boil.


Once that has happened, pour the corn starch mixture in and stir till well incorporated.  Keep cooking till the sauce has thickened up.  About 1-2 minutes.  This meal is fast!
That is pretty much it.  I served it over  rice but it is optional.  I thought it gave a nice addition to the meal.  Go enjoy it and rage on.


Other Things

• This recipe will leave the green beans fairly crunchy.  If you prefer a more tender bean, I would suggest steaming them ahead of time or start cooking them before adding the shrimp in.  Maybe 3-5 minutes of time alone in the pan before you add the shrimp to the party.
• You can use light soy sauce and remove the addition of the salt to make the dish healthier.  Maybe serve it with brown rice.  This is all up to you.
• It cooks fast, can’t stress enough that you make sure you have everything ready to go when you start cooking.