Stir Fried Leeks With Ginger And Shrimp Food

QUICK, SPICY LEEK AND SHRIMP STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Trim the ends and dark green tops from the leeks and discard. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Immerse them in a bowl of cold water, swish to remove any grit and lift them out into a colander. Clean the bowl, change the water and repeat until the water remains clear. You should have 6 cups leeks. Once they are all in the colander, toss them a bit with your fingers to separate the leaves.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add half the leeks and a generous pinch each salt and pepper. Spread the leeks into a single layer and cook, without stirring, until slightly charred, about 1 minute. Stir in a small pinch pepper flakes and continue cooking, without stirring, 1 minute. Toss and stir until the leeks just start to wilt, about 1 more minute. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the remaining leeks, a generous pinch each salt and pepper and another small pinch pepper flakes, adding the leeks to the bowl when done.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet (let it get really hot). Add the shrimp, garlic and another pinch pepper flakes (or to taste). Season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp just starts to turn pink in spots, less than 1 minute. Add the leeks and toss to combine; the shrimp should now be pink. Serve immediately over rice if using.

SHRIMP AND GINGER STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Press out ginger juice; whisk in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, and 1 cup water; set sauce aside.
• Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook half the shrimp, turning once, until just opaque, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon oil; repeat with remaining shrimp. Set shrimp aside.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan; cook bell peppers and white parts of scallions over medium-high heat, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk reserved sauce; pour into pan, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 1 minute. Add shrimp and green parts of scallions; stir until coated with sauce, 30 seconds more. Serve immediately.

LEEKS WITH GINGER AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Put half the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn heat to high. When a bit of smoke appears, add the leeks, all at once. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then cook, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes. When the leeks dry out and begin to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside.
• With the heat still on high, add the remaining oil to the pan, immediately followed by the shrimp. Sprinkle with the ginger. Cook for about a minute, then stir. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the shrimp are almost all pink, about 5 minutes. Add the leeks, along with some salt and pepper. When the shrimp are done (no traces of gray will remain), stir in the liquid if desired, taste and adjust seasoning, and serve.

STIR-FRIED PRAWNS WITH LEEKS

Steps:

• Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tails intact.
• Rinse the leeks well. Cut them first into 1 1/2 inch lengths and then lengthways into fine shreds.
• Slit open the chilli, remove and discard the seeds and cut the flesh into fine shreds.
• Cut the ginger into fine shreds.
• Heat a little of the oil in a wok and stir-fry the prawns in batches until just pink; remove from the wok.
• Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the leeks, chilli and ginger over high heat for 40 seconds, then push to one side of the wok.
• Return the prawns to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until just cooked through.
• Add the soy sauce and mirin to the pan.
• Mix the chicken broth and cornstarch and pour inches.
• Cook on high heat, stirring, until thickened.
• Serve immediately.

STIR-FRIED LEEKS WITH GINGER AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Put half the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over high heat. When a bit of smoke appears, add the leeks all at once. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then cook, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes. When the leeks dry out and begin to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside.
• With the heat still on high, add the remaining oil to the pan, immediately followed by the shrimp; sprinkle with the ginger. Cook for about a minute and stir. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the shrimp are almost all pink. Add the leeks, along with some salt and pepper. When the shrimp are done (no traces of gray will remain), stir in the liquid if desired, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
• Shrimp
• Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.