Shrimp & Scallions

Adapted from Myers & Chang at Home by Joanne Chang (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017)
Serves 4

When I make this for two, I use ¾ pound of shrimp—9 shrimp per person—and don’t decrease the sauce.

1½ pounds large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound)
2 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger (about a 2-inch knob)
2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large egg whites
A pinch of red pepper flakes*
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup ketchup
½ cup stock, chicken or vegetable (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
1 tablespoon sugar (I use Domino Golden)
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Tiny splash of light soy sauce
Black pepper to taste
⅓ cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed)
4 or 5 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

*The original recipe calls for 1½ teaspoons of red pepper flakes, so adjust to your taste.

You can cook this in a wok or a large, heavy flat-bottomed skillet.

Combine the shrimp, ginger, garlic, egg whites, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch in a large bowl and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, stock, sugar, salt, soy sauce, black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch until smooth.

Heat the vegetable oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the shrimp start to turn pink and get a little crispy around the edges. If your heat is high enough, this will take about 1 minute.

Add the ketchup mixture and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn off the heat, stir in the scallions, and serve immediately with rice. I use basmati.

Note: I always keep IQF wild Georgia shrimp—jumbo (21 to 25 per pound)—in my freezer. They’re shipped to me from Anchored Shrimp Company, a family-owned seafood company in Brunswick, GA. These are shrimp—no preservatives, no salt, no anything but shrimp. Having them on hand is like having money in the bank.