shrimp & starfruit stir-fry

After an afternoon of poem revision at the coffee shop, I ran over to the grocery store to see what I could find to make into a leisurely Friday dinner. I saw one lonely starfruit (a favorite of mine since I was a little girl) in the produce section and this recipe just assembled itself in my head and said MAKE ME.

Sadly, there are those that don't like to mix sweet stuff with sour or savory stuff. Those that won't eat strawberries or blueberries in salads, won't eat a mango salsa, can't enjoy a peach-glazed chicken breast. My boyfriend is one of those, although I should mention he is also one of those that eats stuff like salsa and mayonnaise on top of old leftover Chinese pork, so let's just say his palate is not that refined (sorry Randall). So anyway this recipe, which combines fruit and shrimp, is portioned out for one person. Just double or triple the numbers if you're making it for more.

 

Shrimp & Starfruit Stir-Fry

serves 1

total time: 10 minutes 

total hands on time: 10 minutes

What you'll need:

6-10 room temperature shrimp (however many you think you'll eat, can be fresh or defrosted)

1 starfruit, sliced horizontally 

1 heaping tsp garlic

glug of sesame or canola oil

for sauce:

1/3 cup of orange juice

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 heaping tsp rice flour or cornstarch

powdered ginger to taste

1. Get the shrimp ready, defrost if frozen and pull their tails off.

2. Slice the starfruit.

3. In a small bowl, combine orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, rice flour (or cornstarch) and powdered ginger. Stir well; there might be a few small chunks of flour left, but these will disappear when you combine with the rest of the ingredients.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan or wok, add garlic and stir-fry just until hot.

5. Add the shrimp and toss to coat with oil and vinegar; cook about 45 seconds to 1 minute, making sure to move the shrimp around the pan continuously.

6. Add sauce, then starfruit, and stir well. Cook for about 1 1/2 or 2 minutes, or until heated through. The sauce will thicken just a bit due to the flour or cornstarch; make sure it's thickened before you stop cooking.

And that's it! I ate this with brown rice on top of fresh baby spinach. It was so simple, but it looked so pretty on the plate. The flavor is similar to orange or sweet and sour shrimp, and the starfruit sort of acts as the pineapple. I didn't have any other vegs on hand to add in, but this would be so good if you added in some shelled edamame (more protein, too!). And if you're not into starfruit, subsitute pineapple or even red or yellow peppers. The orangey sauce is really easy and will taste good with any vegetables you choose, I think.