Recipe Test: Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

I found this recipe on MyRecipes.com.  It was originally published in the January, 2008, issue of Cooking Light magazine.

I liked it because it went together fast.  I had almost all the ingredients already on hand.  Also, it makes a one-dish meal since everything is there nutrition-wise.  That makes for quick clean-up.  While the recipe calls for bottled minced garlic, I really prefer fresh garlic, and I used that.  If you prefer, you can use the bottled stuff.  I just like touching food enough that I never mind chopping things up (within reason, of course).  Here's the recipe:

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Recipe from Cooking Light, January, 2008
Serving Size : 4

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil -- divided
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 cup vertically sliced onion

Combine first six ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Add shrimp to pan, and stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove shrimp mixture from the pan.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to pan. Add broccoli and onion to pan; stir-fry 4 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Add shrimp mixture and broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serving Ideas : Spoon over basmati or jasmine rice. This recipe is good with chicken or steak, instead of shrimp.

I served mine over jasmine rice.  It was so yummy, and there was enough left over for a lunch portion tomorrow.  Also, it's from Cooking Light, and so it has just 220 calories per one cup serving (excluding the rice).

I need to say something about the broccoli, which I love.  I've never had a lot of luck stir-frying broccoli and getting it done enough for my palate.  Crisp-tender is fine, but it has to be cooked through; otherwise, I feel like I'm eating grass or something.  After four minutes, it was crisp-tender, but it still had that "green" flavor that's just a little too strong for my taste.  So I added about a tablespoon of water to the pan, put the lid on it, and let it steam for one minute.  That did the trick.

It occurs to me that you could also serve this over lo mein noodles or angelhair pasta if you aren't fond of rice.  If you try it, I hope you enjoy it.  This is definitely one to add to the Traveling Gourmet's repertoire.