Thai Shrimp Stir Fry

Living in Vancouver means that my family is exposed to a lot of Asian food...Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian...really the list goes on. As such, there are certain foods that have now become a regular part of our diet and one of those foods is stir fry.

The concept of a stir fry is quite simple and it involves as few or as many ingredients as you choose. It's quite versatile because really all you need are some vegetables, a protein, and a sauce. Of course there are vegetarian stir frys, but I prefer to have at least one form of protein so that the dish feels complete and is filling. Depending on the sauce you choose the stir fry can be more Chinese, using soy sauce, or Thai, using chili sauce.

In my family we usually make stir fry as a way of "cleaning out" our fridge of any vegetables that we have sitting around and need to be consumed. Commonly we use chicken as our protein but occasionally we mix it up with some beef or shrimp. A couple of times I used tofu but the general consensus amongst my family members was that it didn't absorb enough flavor so I stopped trying it.

One time my mom came up with a great stir fry combination using shrimp and garlic chili sauce. The stir fry was a hit, especially with my shrimp-loving brother, and it became one of our regular family dishes. Last night I decided to try and make it when some guests came over for dinner. I served the stir fry along with some jasmine rice and it was a great success. In fact, there was none leftover at the end of the night and I received compliments from everyone. Of course the big thanks goes to my mom for creating the recipe and sharing it with me.

Thai Shrimp Stir Fry

• 900 g (about 60) frozen pre-cooked shrimp, thawed
• 1 medium onion,diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 2-3 large mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive oil

1.  In a large skillet over high heat saute the onion until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and reduce the heat if it starts to burn, but make sure you keep sauteing until the onion starts to caramelize.
2. Stir in the garlic and saute for another minute.
3. Reduce the heat to medium high and add in all of the chopped vegetables. Season with some salt and pepper and continue to saute until the mushrooms brown, about 5-8 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to saute for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want all of the vegetables to become soft but not breakdown completely.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet heat the shrimp on high heat for about 1-2 minutes, making sure all of the excess water drains from them.
5. Using a slotted spoon, add the shrimp to the vegetables and stir through evenly.
6. Add the chili garlic sauce and mix throughout. If you want the dish to be a little spicier add one more tablespoon of sauce, otherwise just add some additional salt and pepper to your liking.

Note: In my family we like to eat this stir fry with some rice or Thai noodles, but it tastes great on its own as well.