Philippines - Hot and Sour Shrimp with Watercress And Walnuts

Hot and Sour Shrimp with Watercress And Walnuts

Yield: 1 servings

Ingredients

-       1 lb Large uncooked shrimp, -peeled, deveined, -butterflied

-       4 tb Dry Sherry

-       1 tb Grated peeled fresh ginger

-       1/2 c Chicken stock or canned -broth

-       2 tb Soy sauce

-       2 tb Catsup. [See note. S.C.]

-       1 tb Cornstarch

-       1 tb Rice vinegar or white wine -vinegar

-       1 tb Sugar

-       1 ts Oriental sesame oil

-       1/4 ts Cayenne pepper

-       6 tb Peanut oil

-       2 tb Chopped walnuts

-       3 bn Watercress, trimmed

-       2 md Bell peppers, cut into -1-inch squares

-       2 Garlic cloves, minced

-       8 Green onions, cut -diagonally into -1-inch-long pieces

Directions

-       A light marinade of Sherry and ginger flavors the shrimp, which are stir-fried with ted bell peppers and green onions.

-       Watercress makes a colorful bed for the shrimp.

-       Combine shrimp, 2 tablespoons Sherry and grated ginger in large bowl.

-       Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

-       Mix remaining 2 tablespoons Sherry, chicken stock, soy sauce, catsup, cornstarch, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil and cayenne pepper in small bowl.

-       Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat.

-       Add walnuts and stir-fry for 1 minute.

-       Transfer walnuts to plate using slotted spoon.

-       Add watercress to wok and stir-fry until just wilted, about 1 minute.

-       Divide watercress among plates.

-       Add 2 teaspoons peanut oil, bell peppers and garlic to wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.

-       Add remaining 2 teaspoons peanut oil, shrimp mixture and onions and stir- fry for 1 minute.

-       Stir stock mixture, add to wok and cook sauce until clear and thick, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

-       Spoon sauce and shrimp over watercress. Sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

NOTE: You can use Jufran sauce rather than catsup. Jufran is a Philippino sauce that's looks and tastes much like catsup. It's made from bananas and other stuff, however and has a more complex and interesting taste. It comes in both mild and hot forms. The mild is not too hot++somewhat like a spicy catsup. The hot stuff is much hotter, although not intolerably so. If you use this, be prudent about how much cayenne you use, at least the first time until you can see how they balance out.

Makes four servings; about 265 calories per serving.