Stir-Fried Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Tomato Sauce (Xihongshi Jiang)

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Stir-Fried Shrimp in Tomato Sauce Tomato Sauce (Xihongshi Jiang)

Book Description

The Chinese Kitchen is equally useful whether you are selecting your first Chinese cookbook or adding to an already substantial collection. This encyclopedic volume is crammed with detailed information, recipes you know yet probably have not made at home, and color photographs from China that bring the culture and culinary interests of the country compellingly to life. Opening with a useful explanation of the fundamentals of Chinese cooking, you learn how all food is viewed for its seasonal

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The Chinese Kitchen

Authors: Deh-Ta Hsiung

Date: January 2000

ISBN: 0312246994

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Hardcover

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Stir-Fried Shrimp in Tomato Sauce
Tomato Sauce (Xihongshi Jiang)
Recipe from: The Chinese Kitchen
by Deh-Ta Hsiung
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

The tomato is not indigenous to China, but is a foreign origin, as its common name, panqie (foreign aubergine), indicates. Just when it was introduced is uncertain; the earliest mention of it dates from the end of the seventeenth century.

Appearance and Taste:
I first encountered tomato in its hard, green form, sliced and stir-fried with scrambled eggs, and to this day, I still prefer my tomatoes to be hard and green, cooked rather than raw-although I do love the very tasty tomato salads of Mediterranean countries.

Culinary Uses:
Tomato sauce used in Chinese cooking should be either tomato paste, or a lightly seasoned tomato based sauce, not the ubiquitous tomato ketchup, much used in sweet and sour dishes by some Chinese restaurants. Tomato ketchup and tomato sauce (or paste) are not interchangeable in Chinese cooking.

This is a most delicious dish, simple and easy to prepare. It can be served as an appetizer or as part of the main course when combined with other dishes.

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer
Preparation time 15-20 minutes
Cooking time 8-10 minutes

10 oz. peeled shrimp, uncooked
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 egg white, beaten
2 tablespoons cornstarch paste
2-3 firm tomatoes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions
About 10 oz. oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine
About 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz.) good stock
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish

Blend the shrimp with a pinch of the salt, the egg white, and about half the cornstarch paste.
Skin the tomatoes and cut each one into small wedges. Cut the scallions into short sections, separating the white and green parts.
Heat the oil in a preheated wok or pan. Stir-fry the shrimp for about 1-1/2 minutes, remove with a strainer and drain.
Pour off the excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the wok or pan. Stir-fry the garlic, the tomatoes and white parts of the scallions for about 30 seconds, then add the remaining salt together with the tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and stock. Blend well and bring to the boil.
Add the shrimp with the green parts of the scallions. Blend well and thicken the sauce with the remaining cornstarch paste. Sprinkle the sesame oil and serve hot, garnished with cilantro leaves.

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