Lake Tung Ting Shrimp is a Chinese style shrimp stir-fry with vegetables in a delicate wine sauce.
Lake Tung Ting Shrimp (Tung Ting Xa Xeo)
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
My second recipe of the day, Lake Tung Ting Shrimp (I posted Broccoli Casserole earlier) is with the Fish Friday Foodies group, which is the brainchild of Wendy Klik- and is one of my favorite blogging groups because I j’adore seafood (perhaps to an unhealthy degree?)
For November, Karen Kerr is hosting (members take turns each month) and offered up stir-fries for us to tackle.
It was right around the time the topic came up that I was making this recipe at home, so I decided to save it for this event. Although it has been really hard to sit still about this one because it is simply delicious.
It hails from the Tom Hsu restaurant dynasty in St. Louis Missouri, of which I used to go to his place out on Hampton Avenue in the 1980’s called Hunan Cafe. He sold that one and moved out to West County where he has been ever since. And while Lake Tung Ting shrimp is a standard of Chinese cooking, this includes his selection of veggies as well as the particular prep on the shrimp that he did which I am not sure how many others do, but I share that here.
This is a Hunan recipe specifically- named after Lake Dongting in the northeastern province of Hunan in China. The lake itself is a flood basin of the Yangtze River. And while shrimp are generally saltwater, I am wondering if the version over there was originally made with freshwater shrimp, but I can’t be certain. I do prefer saltwater shrimp if I have a choice, although you could use either.
And while you might immediately think of Hunan food as being overtly spicy- this one is not. While it does have a little garlic, there aren’t even any onions. It is very delicate and light, highlighting the use of eggs in something that would appear to be inspired by Cantonese cooking.
The recipe also includes a bit of ham, which I am sure is all part and parcel of the classic recipe, but not surprising really considering how well loved that pork is in China. The straw mushrooms are canned- you can occasionally find them fresh at an Asian market, but don’t stress if you need to use the common white mushrooms. It is mostly visual aesthetic more than anything else, as it looks very Chinese, as do the baby corn.
#FishFridayFoodies
This month for Fish Friday Karen has us set to do seafood stir-fries. For my part, I will be sharing Lake Tung Ting Shrimp. You can see the entire collection by clicking the blue frog just below.
“Seafood Stir-Fries”
Hosted by Karen Kerr
Be sure to check out the other Fish Friday Foodies Bloggers this month!
Click on the hop link button to be transported to the other recipes:
Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.
Lake Tung Ting Shrimp
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (16-20 count) large shrimp, peeled and slice in half lengthwise
- 4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
- 15 ounce can straw mushrooms, drained
- 3 ounces diced smoked ham
- 5.5 ounce can baby corn, sliced lengthwise
- 5 ounces broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup diced water chestnuts
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
Sauce:
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup beaten egg white
Method:
- Prep the top ingredients- taking care to slice the shrimp and baby corn into thinner pieces making them long. The shrimp are peeled, deveined and further split down where the vein was removed as you would in a butterfly prep- although with that you don’t cut all the way through. As in Japanese cooking, you want to take your small knife and nick the bottom blue vein without chopping up the shrimp.
- Mix up the sauce and keep near the wok.
- You can steam the broccoli florets ahead or start them in the wok first so they get done, as they cook longer than the rest.
- But cook up the veggies and ham in the oil.
- Add the sauce mixture to the pan, then the shrimp last, because they are done as soon as they turn from translucent to opaque. You really don’t want to overcook shellfish as it causes it to be rubbery.
- Serve with rice.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
You Might Also Like:
Chanterelle and Roasted Garlic Butter Noodles
Where to Purchase Equipment and Ingredients
For This Recipe (plus my fav picks):
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which offer sources for ingredients and equipment, if needed. Clicking on them doesn’t cost you anything but helps pay the electric bill and keep the blog lights on should you purchase anything during your visit! Thanks for your support.
Love this authentic Hunan style recipe. So many great veggies to go with your gorgeous pink shrimp. The sauce sounds wonderful too.
It is gorgeous, absolutely restaurant worthy Sue.
That shrimp sounds so good. It looks just like takeout, I bet it tastes much better though!