Shrimp and Broccoli

A few weeks ago I had the strongest craving for Chinese-style broccoli and shrimp with a phat bowl of fluffy white rice. I had some delivered and I *inhaled* the order so fast — it was everything I needed. And then I thought, why am I not making this myself?! Granted, I was in a no-cook mood that week and hadn’t turned on the stove in a number of days, but for the weeks I’m not in a cooking funk, this is a pretty great no-fuss meal, even more so if you’re using bagged broccoli florets. You can also skip the shrimp brine, though I think do find that brining it in baking soda and salt gives it a snappier texture, something I learned from Serious Eats.

You can have this with rice, or alternatively, my sister had stirred some seasoned udon noodles in and it was also v yum!

I used:

• 1/2 lb peeled, tail-on shrimp 
• shrimp brine (optional but recommended): 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 10 oz bag of broccoli floret (~2 medium crowns)
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 dried chilis, broken in half (optional)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• dash of white pepper
• cornstarch slurry (mix together): 1/2 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water

To make:

• Toss shrimp in baking soda and salt and let sit for 15 minutes, and then rinse off
• In the meantime, mix together sauce of oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper
• Heat up neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the shrimp until fully cooked ~2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan
• Add in additional oil and sauté garlic and dried chilis until lightly fragrant ~30 seconds
• Toss in broccoli florets, mix, and then add 1/2 cup water and allow it to steam cook covered until softened, ~4-5 minutes 
• Add in the shrimp and sauce, toss until incorporated 
• Give the cornstarch slurry a stir and add to the pan and mix, simmer until sauce is thickened ~1 minute