Usually after a long day of work, I don’t feel like putting a lot of effort into cooking.  Keeping things in the freezer and throwing things together allows me to easily make a 30-minute (or less) dinner.  This recipe is one of those easy (yet delicious and flavorful) dinners for busy nights!  *BONUS – if you already have rice made or use microwaveable rice, this dinner can be made in 15 minutes!

Please keep in mind, that usually when I put together my own recipes, I don’t usually measure the ingredients out.  However, here, I will do my best to include not only pictures and instructions, but some measurements.

As I mentioned, I LOVE keeping frozen ingredients in the freezer for throwing after-work dinners together.  For this recipe, I used half a bag of frozen shrimp (pictured below).

Before making the sauce mixture, I throw the frozen shrimp into a colander (aka pasta drainer), and run it under room temperature water for a minute or so to start defrosting it.

Once that is done, I put it into a bowl or container to sit while I prepare the sauce mixture.  I mix about 1 tablespoon honey with 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce (pictured) below), 2 tablespoons of shoyu (soy sauce – also pictured below)*, and sprinkle of brown sugar, drizzle of sesame oil, and a squirt of sriracha**.  Once thoroughly mixed, pour over the shrimp you placed aside, stir, and let sit.

*If you want your shrimp less sweet, you can do 4 tablespoons of shoyu instead.

** Feel free to add the sriracha based on your heat preference.

Here’s the sauce mixture, along with pictures of the brand of shoyu and teriyaki sauce I used:

 

 

 

 

 

Next is the rice!  You can definitely use already-made rice or microwaveable rice instead and skip this step (and to save time!)  But since I didn’t have any on hand, I had to make some.  Here’s the brand of rice I used which I just got at my local Foodland grocery store.

Also, did I mention I don’t have a rice cooker??! (I know, I know…what kind of Asian am I??) Anyways, this recipe will show you how to make rice in an ordinary pot (in case you already didn’t know haha)

Step 1:  For two people, I just filled a small pot with rice – enough to cover the bottom.

Step 2:  Rinse the rice.

Step 3: Carefully pour out the water.

Step 4:  Repeat steps 2 and 3 a couple of times.

Step 5:  Like I said, I don’t really measure my recipes lol.  Once the rice is rinsed, I add enough water so that when I place my hand in the pot (shown below), the water reaches right below my knuckles.  (This was the way I learned to cook rice growing up, and it always works perfectly!)

Step 6:  Place the pot on the stove set on “Hi” until it starts boiling.  Once it starts boiling, turn it down to “Simmer”, cover with the lid, and cook for 25 minutes.

NOW – while the rice is cooking (unless you skipped that step), you can get started cooking!  Put a pan on medium-high heat, and place 2 tablespoons of butter, and a drizzle of olive oil (this combo just ensures that the butter won’t burn).

Pour shrimp AND the sauce mixture into the pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and let cook.  Once the sauce starts boiling, give the shrimp a good mix and sprinkle brown sugar (I just use a pinch or two) and sriracha in.

Once you see the shrimp is cooked, add frozen peas (again, add any amount to your liking – my fiance and I LOVE peas, so we added a lot)*

*NOTE:  You can add any veggies you prefer.  This dish is also good with broccoli or asparagus!

Continue to cook while giving it a stir once in a while.  After 1-2 minutes of cooking (the frozen peas cook fast), turn the stove down to low, and let the mixture simmer.  After a couple of minutes, you should see the sauce start to thicken.*

*If you want the sauce to be more thick, don’t worry!  Simply add 2 parts of water (room temperature) to 1 part corn starch, and give it a mix.  Then, slowly pour it into the pan while mixing the corn starch slurry into the food.  Continue to simmer.

Once the shrimp and pea mixture is cooked to your liking, plate your cooked rice with the shrimp and peas.

Here’s my finished rice!

Mmm, here’s the finished product!  I LOVE the sweet and spicy flavor combinations!

*TIP: If you want to go above and beyond to enhance the sweet and spicy combo, you can even drizzle sriracha and honey (or maple syrup) on top of your plated dinner!  (I didn’t do that here, but it is SO good)

And that’s it! Dinner cooked and on the table in 30 minutes or less 🙂

Below is the recipe without all the pictures and added dialogue.

SWEET AND SPICY STICKY SHRIMP AND PEAS

• Ingredients
  • frozen shrimp
  • frozen peas (or vegetable of choice)
  • 2 tbsp shoyu (aka soy sauce)
  • 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  • sriracha
  • sesame oil
  • salt and pepper
  • brown sugar
• Instructions
  • Thaw shrimp, or run frozen shrimp under room temperature water to speed up the thawing process.  Pour slightly thawed shrimp into a bowl and set aside.
  • Mix together 2 tbsp of shoyu, 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, sprinkle of brown sugar, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a dash of sriracha (to your liking).
    • *if you prefer less sweetness, you can use 4 tbsp of shoyu instead of a combo of the teriyaki and shoyu
  • Pour sauce mixture over shrimp.  Toss shrimp with sauce mixture and set aside.
  • RICE (If you already have rice, or are using microwaveable rice, you can skip this step)
    • Measure out rice desired (for 2 people, I just fill a small pot enough to lightly cover the bottom)
    • Rinse rice and drain.  (Rinse and repeat!)
    • Fill water enough so that when you place hand in pot (see picture in blog), water is right below knuckles.  (Or you can just follow the instructions on the rice bag to see the ratio of water to rice)
    • Place pot on stove set on “high”.
    • Once it starts to boil, lower stove on “simmer” or “low” and cover with lid.  Cook for 25 minutes.
  • Heat a pan on “high” with two tbsp of butter and a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Pour the shrimp AND the sauce mixture into the heated pan.
  • Sprinkle brown sugar and sriracha to your liking over the shrimp.  Mix, and let rise to a boil.
  • Once the shrimp has been cooking for a couple of minutes, add your chosen amount of frozen peas (or vegetable of choice).  Continue to cook while stirring every so often.
  • After 1-2 minutes, the shrimp and pea mixture should start to thicken.
    • *If you want to thicken the sauce more, add a slurry of 2 parts water to 1 part cornstarch, and slowly pour slurry in while mixing shrimp and peas.
  • Once shrimp and peas is cooked to your liking, plate it with the rice you made, and eat!
    • Feel free to garnish with an additional drizzle of sriracha and/or honey or maple syrup to enhance the sweet and spicy flavor combo!

 

*DISCLAIMER: Foodie At Law posts in no way provide any warranty (express or implied) in regards to the recipes provided or the outcome of said recipes, and I am not a chef or professional cook.  These recipes are intended solely for informational purposes and readers are advised to use their own discretion when it comes to food, health, allergy and cooking safety.  While original recipes will occasionally be posted, recipes obtained from other sources are appropriately cited.