Shrimp with Lobster Sauce served with rice and roasted carrots

This is a contribution from a Sophisticated Gentleman.  My brother-in-law enjoys cooking more than my sister does.  This is one of the first dishes that he won her heart (through her picky stomach) with when they were dating.  It is still one of her favorites.  Don’t worry if it turns out differently every time.  It is part of the charm of it all.

It all comes together quickly, so I recommend prepping all the ingredients before you start cooking.  I color-coded ingredients that can be mixed ahead of time so you just have to dump it all in at once.  The bonus is you can taste it and see if you like it or want to adjust it before adding it in. Feel free to play around with the quantities.  If you like more egg, add more.  Like the black bean sauce, add more of that.  If you’re not sure about how to adjust it, think about the individual ingredients – too salty, that is too much soy sauce, so add more black bean sauce.  Black bean sauce is usually in the Asian section of the grocery store, or of course in Asian grocery stores.  Before adding in the water/cornstarch mixture, make sure you give it a fresh stir because it tends to settle in clumps.

Everything prepped and ready since everything cooks up quickly (the bonus, you’ll feel like you’re on your own cooking show!)

2 T cornstarch (split into ½ T and 1-1/2 T)
2 tsp dry sherry or Shao Zing wine
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
¼ pound ground pork
1 c chicken broth or water
2 T soy sauce
2 T black bean sauce
¼ tsp sugar
¼ c cold water
1 egg, beaten

In a medium bowl, dissolve ½ T cornstarch in the sherry.  Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss to coat.  Prep the rest of the ingredients if they are colored, put like colors together.

Heat the wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and fry until pink, about 3-5 minutes, flipping them about halfway through.  Remove the shrimp to a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Add the garlic and ginger to the hot oil, fry for a few seconds.  Then add the ground pork.  Cook, stirring constantly until the pork is cooked and no longer pink.

Combine broth, soy sauce, black bean sauce, sugar and salt in the wok with the pork.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes.  Mix the remaining 1-1/2 T cornstarch with ¼ c cold water.  Pour in the pan with the pork.  Add back in the shrimp and any juices.  Bring to a simmer and keep stirring.  While stirring, drizzle in the egg and keep stirring until the egg gets mixed into everything as it cooks.  Serve over rice.