Kung Pao Shrimp

This week's submission to Favorite Ingredients Friday is Kung Pao Shrimp. We haven't made this in a really long time (probably because Sophie can't eat shellfish yet), but it's really yummy. This is a recipe from Food and Wine magazine in 2002. For more recipes in this week's exchange, visit Overwhelmed with Joy by clicking the picture above.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 small dried red chiles, 4 halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
1 cup roasted cashews
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1. In a bowl, mix the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch.


2. In a wok, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Add the chiles and salt; stir-fry until browned, 45 seconds. Add the onion, ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, 15 seconds. Add the peppers and cook until crisp-tender, 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce, add to the wok and cook until thickened slightly, 30 seconds. Stir in the cashews and sesame oil; serve.