Have less than 30 minutes to get dinner on the table? The following Szechuan Shrimp & Vegetable Stir-Fry can be completed in less than 30 minutes, including the rice. It’s full of fresh, crisp vegetables, as well as water chestnuts for extra crunch, and a little Sambal Oelek (chili paste) for a bit of fire. Asian sesame oil is drizzled over the stir-fry just before serving and takes it to a new level. This dish is definitely restaurant quality, but takes less time to prepare at home than to get in the car and go pick up take-out.

Rice generally takes 20 minutes to cook; it can be started either on the stovetop or in the rice cooker. Once the rice is started, hands-on time is about 10 minutes to slice the zucchini, onion, red pepper, and asparagus. The shrimp simply needs to be rinsed off and the tails removed, and the sugar snap peas can be put in as is.

Both Sambal Oelek and the garlic black bean sauce are available on the Asian aisle at most larger grocery stores. They can be kept in the fridge almost indefinitely; that’s good news, since you’ll want to make this easy dish over and over.

4 Servings

Sauce:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons garlic black bean sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek, or other red chili sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and sliced in 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, quartered and sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 pound peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

1 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon sesame oil

1. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over high heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until they soften.
4. Add the asparagus, red bell pepper, zucchini, and sugar snap peas.
5. Stir fry until crisp-tender.
6. Pour the sauce over and stir; add the shrimp.
7. Continue to stir-fry until the shrimp turn pink.
8. Turn off the heat, stir in the water chestnuts, drizzle the sesame oil over all, and serve immediately over rice.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 431 Calories from Fat 81
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 19% Protein 31% Carb. 50%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 222 mg
Sodium 475 mg
Total Carbohydrate 54 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 17 g
Protein 33 g

Vitamin A 53% Vitamin C 209% Calcium 0% Iron 39%