I had every healthy intention of continuing my miniseries on ancient grains with a few words on millet and amaranth. However, you know how many roads are paved with some of those intentions.
The reason I decided to change is simple. I was walking through my bedroom and spotted something on the floor. It was a very old photograph that had fallen out of a scrapbook that belonged to my daddy. The scrapbook chronicles some of his adventures in 1928 when he lived in Canton, China, working for an American bank.
He had graduated with a degree in business from Columbia University in New York and was working as a tie salesman at Saks Fifth Avenue, the famous department store. One day (as family lore has it), his good friend Shelley (aka “Hawkeye”) came in and convinced Daddy to go with him to China and work. Quicker than you can untie a Windsor knot, off they went. And, by the looks of the pictures, a grand time was had by all. So, I thought about China and then that led to Chinese food, and that led to drooling at the thought of a dish we made in the “One-Pot Meals” class in January at Mississippi University for Women. We spent one three-hour class talking about and cooking different stir-fry dishes.
The key to any good stir-fry is a hot pan. A traditional wok is perfect, but really only if you have the ability to heat it to a searing temperature. In class we made beef with broccoli that was easy and had a taste far superior to takeout. We had to use an electric skillet due to space constraints and, while it was really good, it would have been better if we had had the ability to cook it more quickly on higher heat.
The smart chefs at Cooks Illustrated have come up with an ingenious way to make a stir-fry without it having to be so hands-on and without having to lug out that wok you use once a year, if that. The protein (in this case, the shrimp) and vegetables are tossed in oil and put on a very hot baking sheet pan, then cooked in a 500-degree oven. The hot pan starts cooking the food immediately and insures that the food doesn’t steam in too many juices. This recipe included was simply outstanding, and I recommend it to you. You can eat it as is or over some steamed white rice.
SHEET PAN STIR-FRIED SHRIMP WITH ASPARAGUS, EDAMAME AND SPICY ORANGE SAUCE
Serves 4+
1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed, sliced on the bias into 2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
Salt and ground black pepper
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
7 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup (4 ounces) frozen shelled edamame, thawed
2 scallions, sliced thin on the bias
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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