Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry with Toasted Coconut Rice

Oh friends, how I am missing you all! I hate that I have been so out of touch lately and for those missing my updates, I apologize! Things have been exceptionally busy at work and in life but the truth is, every day I am terribly overwhelmed by the sheer volume and magnitude of terrible headlines. At times like these, sharing recipes seems so pointless when so many more important things are going on around us. But alas, we still must eat. We need nourishment to gather our strength so we can regroup and keep fighting the good fight.

Being so maxed out, I’ve been especially drawn to simple and quick meals, and many evenings have been cooking on the fly with no recipe at all. The first time I made this dish was a few weeks ago on one such hectic and tiring day, conceived of solely due to what we had on hand which was a whole lot of veggies and an inexplicable quantity of coconut milk in the pantry. What resulted was an instant family favorite, one that had the kids making nonstop yummy noises (a la Phoebe Buffay) throughout the meal. I’ve made it a few times since, tweaking the recipe slightly each time, until it was ready for you. I hope you love it as much as we do!

I have so many posts to share with you soon, provided I maintain some available mental energy. I still need to finish posts about our Cali trip last summer (yikes!), I have an excellent Things I’m Loving ready to go, will probably share our experience with the Women’s March, and of course, I’ve got plenty of amazing recipes waiting in the wings. Thanks for sticking with me loves!

Yield about 4-5 servings

Ingredients

For the rice:

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1½ jasmine or basmati rice (I prefer basmati)
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
1¾ cups water
2-4 tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt

For the stir fry:

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. cornstarch
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. peanut or canola oil, divided
1 small-medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
8 oz. snow peas
¼ cup veggie or chicken broth
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
¼ cup soy sauce
½ tsp. sesame oil

Directions

01
To make the rice, place the coconut in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Toast, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, coconut milk, water, sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover, lower the heat to just maintain the simmer, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, remove from the heat, and let stand covered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the toasted coconut and serve warm.
02
In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp with the cornstarch and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Let stand 5-10 minutes. In a large deep sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook, turning once, until pink and opaque, about 1 minute per side. Remove from to a plate and set aside.
03
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Once heated, add in the onion and red pepper. Sauté until beginning to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cooking, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add in the broccoli and snow peas. Add in the broth and briefly stir to deglaze the pan. Cover and let steam 2-3 minutes. (If the liquid evaporates very quickly, you may want to add an additional ¼ cup of broth or water here.) Remove the lid from the pan, stir in the carrot, soy sauce, and cooked shrimp. Cook a minute or two more until everything is warmed through. Serve over the coconut rice.

Source

coconut rice from Cravings by Chrissy Teigen