Cantonese shrimp with lobster sauce and Shanghai bok choy
With a few shortcuts, this simple recipe gets even easier and accommodates people who don't eat pork. Enjoy it for a weeknight dinner over rice or noodles. You'll love the fragrant aroma. Serve with sliced green onions.
Place the frozen shrimp in a bowl of lukewarm water to defrost them (if they're still frozen). Work on preparing the remaining ingredients while you wait for the shrimp to thaw.
Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and discard the shells. Beat the egg whites and yolks until mixed. Set aside.
Wash the Shanghai bok choy and separate each leaf from the stalk until you get to the heart of the bok choy. Discard the tough bottom of the stalk.
Once the shrimp has thawed, drain the water from the shrimp. Add the marinade ingredients (Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and sugar) to the shrimp and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of water to the cornstarch to create a slurry. Set aside.
Begin stir frying
Add the oil to the pan on medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped green onion and minced garlic. Stir immediately to avoid burning the aromatics. Cook for 30 seconds for the garlic to turn golden.
Add the shrimp with the marinade to the hot pan. Add the minced ginger. Stir to mix.
Add the chicken broth to the shrimp in the pan.
Add the Shanghai bok choy to the pan.
Stir the cornstarch slurry to mix any cornstarch that settled at the bottom of the bowl. When you begin to see bubbles around the edges of the pan, add the cornstarch slurry. Mix the cornstarch slurry into the sauce.The cornstarch slurry will turn the sauce opaque. Allow the cornstarch slurry to cook until it transforms from milky white to clear. The sauce should have a gravy-like texture and return to its original reddish brown color. This is the lobster sauce. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon without being gloopy. If the sauce is too thick, add more chicken broth. If the sauce is too thin, add more cornstarch slurry.
Pour the beaten eggs into the sauce in a thin stream slowly with one hand while stirring the sauce in the pan continuously with your other hand. Turn off the heat. Keep stirring until the egg is cooked through. The eggs should continue cooking with the residual heat.
The shrimp are ready to eat. Serve them with sliced green onion and optionally on top of rice or noodles. Enjoy this easy shrimp with lobster sauce!
Notes
I always try to get wild frozen shrimp if possible. They taste better and are more environmentally friendly.