at-home take-out.

yesterday was a stay-at-home kind of day. after spending the weekend with the parents, i just wanted to relax and do nothing. unfortunately, we didn't have any ready-made food at the house so i decided to delve into my cook books and see if i could make anything tasty.

this recipe caught my eye.

it looked quick and easy and i had mostly all the ingredients. some substitutions had to be made as i didn't have the chili paste but surprisingly the ketchup, chili flake, and garlic paste method didn't turn out too bad. i had to fiddle with the recipe a little, though, because it was initially kind of bland when i finished making it. after tinkering around with it for a minute, i ended up with something that's a little bit more flavorful with the added chinese five-spice blend and help from boosting the spices and seasonings. also, since i didn't have any rice, i decided to use the rest of my squid ink pasta to make it a noodle stir-fry. yay for add-ins! :D

 

Stir-Fried Ginger Shrimp Noodles
(barely adapted from Cooking Light)

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta
Dash of white pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek or make a substitute)
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided plus more for pasta
1 cup thinly vertically sliced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diagonally cut celery
1/4 tsp chinese five-spice blend (or make your own)
4 portions squid ink spaghetti
sliced green onions for garnish

1. In a large pot, heat salted water to boiling (water should taste like the sea). Add canola oil to the water to prevent pasta from sticking then add the pasta. Let cook until al dente, drain, then set aside.

2. Place shrimp in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with ginger, salt, and pepper; toss well. Let stand 5 minutes.

3. Combine 1/2 cup water and next 6 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove shrimp mixture from pan; set aside. Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add celery; stir-fry 1 minute. Return shrimp mixture to pan; stir-fry 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

5. Add water mixture to pan along with chinese five spice. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Add the pasta to the pan and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and top with sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

Makes four servings.