Authentic Asian Teriyaki Stir-Fry With Shrimp

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You will never need to order takeout for shrimp stir-fry again! This Authentic Asian Teriyaki Stir-Fry With Shrimp recipe delivers all Chinese takeout flavors without the expense. The game-changing ingredient is the teriyaki glaze which is both sweet and tangy, with blended garlic and ginger hints.

Stir-fry is always a favorite! It’s a great way to work on vegetables to help achieve a healthy diet and, frankly, is an intelligent way to clean out the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. While stir-fry is easy to make, it’s not without a bit of work getting all of the ingredients ready for the wok.

My family loves shrimp, but it can be expensive to feed a big crew on a budget. I like to use shrimp in this recipe because I can stretch a couple of pounds of shrimp with the vegetables and the rice to fill them up! However, the teriyaki glaze is very versatile and can be used with any protein, Tofu, or no protein at all.

Authentic Asian Teriyaki Stir-Fry With Shrimp Ingredients

• Various Vegetables of your liking-green pepper, onion, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, broccoli
• Shrimp or other protein – chicken, flank steak, tofu
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Soy Sauce or Tamari
• Water
• Brown sugar
• Honey
• Sesame oil
• Cornstarch
• Vegetable oil
• Green onion and sesame seeds for garnish

Teriyaki Glaze

Prepare the teriyaki glaze first. Start with a small saucepan, and add a cup of water, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey, and sesame oil. Stir well and heat over medium heat until it simmers.

While the glaze is getting to a simmer, let’s make a slurry to thicken the glaze. Mix the remaining water, 4 Tablespoons, and the cornstarch until well mixed. It’s a little challenging to stir initially but keep at it, and it will become a well-mixed liquid.

Finally, add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and stir until the sauce gets thicker. Be patient and keep an eye on it, whisking often. I like the glaze to hang on to my spatula or spoon a bit when I hold it up over the pan. Set it aside while we prep the vegetables.

Cut Those Veggies

Beautiful combination of vegetables that are ready to be stir-fried always enhances the protein’s flavor. As such, do not overthink the vegetables for this dish. Feel free to use anything left in your vegetable drawer if necessary. If meal planning and making a grocery list, it’s always great to add in fresh Bok choy, a Chinese cabbage. I did not have that on hand but did have purple cabbage, so I added that in, as you can see. Other options that are great to add are water chestnuts or bamboo shoots that are canned and traditionally found in your grocery store’s international aisle.

Do remember to cut your vegetables in similar thickness and size for even cooking. Traditionally, you will add the vegetables in order of most time needed to soften, to the least amount of time to get a beautiful stir-fry that is not mushy.

You can eat the stir-fry alone if you’re vegan or plant-based. The vegetables’ variation is endless, and the glaze with the hint of ginger and garlic will leave you wanting to eat platefuls!

Pick your protein, or not!

Traditionally, you should allow about 2 pounds of shrimp for this recipe. I like to use the XL shrimp that I get from my grocery store’s meat case. I always peel and devein my shrimp myself. It’s definitely more work for sure, but not only will you have a cleaner product by removing the waste areas of the shrimp, but it’s usually cheaper than the pre-cleaned shrimp. When you are cooking for a large group, this is the difference between having to step down a shrimp size because of budget or put a little more effort into the shrimp yourself.

This recipe is equally impressive with chicken or steak. Be sure to allow for about 2 pounds of protein to yield six servings, including a bed of rice to help fill everyone up. Make sure you cut your protein into bite-size pieces and have them completely ready before cooking.

If you are plant-based or a vegan, omit the shrimp protein and substitute Tofu. If you use Tofu, be sure that you fry the Tofu first. It’s crucial that Tofu is cooked correctly to stand up to the teriyaki glaze, so it doesn’t get soggy or fall apart.

Now Wok It Out

Start to stir-fry the vegetables. With a bit more oil to the wok, wait for the oil to get very hot. If you put the vegetables in too soon, the vegetables will soak up the oil and taste just like it. Add vegetables with the longest cooking time first. To shorten the longer cooking vegetable times, you can put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften them. Pre-cooking carrots this way is helpful, for instance. Keep the tender but not overcooked into a mushy mess!

Now, put the cooked protein and vegetables back into the wok and pour teriyaki glaze over the mixture until well coated. Serve this Authentic Asian Teriyaki Stir-Fry With Shrimp recipe over a bed of rice and enjoy!

With the Wok on the stove, add oil and wait until the oil is very hot. Start to add your protein to the pan; keep moving the protein consistently to cook but not burn.  When cooked, remove and set aside in a bowl.  This utensil strainer works well when stir-frying leaving behind the oil and allowing you to remove the vegetables and shrimp.

Tips & Tricks

• Make the teriyaki glaze before you start to stir-fry the rest of the ingredients. Do not rush the process, and be sure that the glaze has a chance to thicken nicely to coat the vegetables and shrimp for the best taste possible.
• For the stir-fry, be sure you have ALL of your ingredients prepared before you start to cook. Once you start the process, you will be moving ingredients in and out of the wok quickly. You don’t want to risk overcooking your ingredients because you are otherwise engaged.
• Make sure at every stage of the stir-fry process you make sure your oil is hot. If you do not, the ingredients will soak up that oil, and it will definitely taste like it!
• Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Keep in mind that if you have a vegetable that will take a long time to cook through, like carrots, put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes to pre-cook them for best results.
• The glaze is 100% vegan, so you can use the recipe on your favorite vegetables and serve over rice for an amazing plant-based dinner.

Nutritional Disclaimer

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