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I love it that the Chinese restaurants in the US offer special lunch menu.
For about $5-$7, you get a complete meal of an entree, rice, and a bowl of soup.
Some days when I am too lazy to make lunch, or when I don’t have lunch dates with my friends, I always find myself at a Chinese restaurant, getting my fix of cheap and filling Chinese food.
Recently, I have been going to be a Chinese restaurant close to my house.
I have tried many dishes on their special lunch menu, but I am hooked on their cashew shrimp—a simple shrimp stir-fry with cashew nuts (my favorite nut), snow peas, carrots, and canned straw mushrooms.
I am probably biased as I love both shrimp and cashew nuts, but I thought their version of cashew shrimp has “wok hei” (breath of wok), with juicy and bouncy shrimp, and the sauce is the epitome of Cantonese cooking—light, savory, and just coats the shrimp and ingredients.
I love it.
So today, I decided to attempt it at home.
I tried to replicate the same taste, with slightly less oil.
The end result was this beautiful, delicious, and pleasing cashew shrimp recipe that goes so well with steamed white rice.
This is great for a small family of 2-3 people, served with other dishes.
When it comes to shrimp, I usually get my shrimp at Asian supermarkets, because they are available at an average of $5 – $6 per pound, depending on the size of the shrimp, and whether or not they are shelled.
This is cheap as the price can be easily double at regular stores, such as Whole Foods. Shrimp is very tasty and your family can enjoy shrimp more often if you know where to get the cheapest shrimp.
Try this cashew shrimp recipe and I am sure everyone would really enjoy it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 484 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Cashew Shrimp
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Cashew Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 oz (250g) shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced into thin pieces, 1-inch (2 cm)
- 2 oz (60g) snow peas, a handful
- 1/4 small carrot, peeled and sliced into diamond shape
- 1/4 cup canned straw mushrooms, sliced into halves
- 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts, rinsed
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon shaoxing wine, (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Marinate the shrimp with the marinade for 15 minutes. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and stir to blend well.
- Heat a wok with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is heated, add the marinated shrimp to the wok and stir quickly until the shrimp is half cooked, or the surface turns opaque or white. Dish out and set aside.
- Clean the wok and add 1 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is heated, add the sliced ginger and stir-fry until you start to smell the gingery aroma. Add the snow peas, carrot, mushrooms, and cashew nuts to the wok, stir, and then add the shrimp back in, followed by the sauce.
- Continue to stir-fry continuously until the shrimp is cooked through. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I did my shopping at the Asian store this week. Had a list of ingredients for several of your recipes. This is the first one on my list. I fixed it for our dinner tonight, and served it as a rice bowl meal. It wasn’t hard to fix, although I found myself a little stressed because everything has to happen fairly quickly. I just wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. It was sooooo good! I think I will make double the sauce next time so it can seep down into the rice. My husband liked it too. Always a plus. I will definitely make this again!
Hi Terry, all my recipes are very good, you should try more. Yes, you can always double the sauce.
Hi, I am new to your website. I love the simple and easy to follow recipes. I am diabetic and would like the carb and sugar counts on the Egg Foo Young and Fried Rice dishes. Thanks
Hi Marilyn, thanks for being a new fan. Happy cooking! Don’t forget to like Rasa Malaysia on Facebook or join my email to get new recipe updates. http://rasamalaysia.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=15a0619f22cc75cd9bebef08c&id=7f9b7432d8
how do you make the shrimp tender and not chewy.