Hot Braised Shrimp

When it comes to eating shrimp with the shell intact, I prefer using ingredients that are strong in flavor.  In this dish, sweet fermented glutinous rice (甜酒酿), also know as sweet wine, has played an important role. With low alcohol content, fermented glutinous rice tastes sweet, tinged with a wine aroma. It brings out the character of the dish. I got mine from our local Chinese supermarket. 

Recipe: Hot Braised Shrimp

Ingredients:

12 medium size shrimps (in shell)

3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

3 slices of ginger (finely chopped)

2 stalks of scallion (chopped for garnish)

3 tablespoons of sweet fermented glutinous rice (甜酒酿)

1/2 cup of water

1 tablespoon of rice wine

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 tablespoon of chili bean sauce

4 tablespoon of tomato sauce

Method:

1. To prepare the shrimps, first remove its head, then cut along/slit its back, take out the vein and with the shell intact.

2. Heat up a wok with oil, add shrimps, lightly sauté both sides of the shrimps (until the shell turns into light orange color, but not quite fully cooked yet), take out and set aside.

3. Heat up the same wok, add a bit of oil, lightly saute garlic and ginger until aromatic. Then add the chili bean sauce, tomato sauce, rice wine, white vinegar, water and lastly sweet fermented glutinous rice and bring to boil.

4. Add shrimps back into the wok, add sugar, stir well with the ingredients.

5. Cover up the wok with the lid and cook for about 20 seconds or until the shrimps are cooked.

6. Sprinkle chopped scallion, dish out and serve hot.