pretty by the bay

I was raised by a single mom for a good bit of my childhood. Money was tight, and going out to eat was a rare and special treat. Of all the restaurants we frequented, my favorite was a “fancy” Chinese place situated in a local strip mall. What made it fancy? A koi pond, a bubbling fountain with a giant gold Buddha statue, and a host of dishes with exotic vegetables not found in our at-home dinner offerings. I was partial to anything served with peapods – beef with peapods, chicken with peapods, shrimp with peapods. My young self usually ate peas in canned or frozen form, so having them served in the pod was exotic and delicious and exciting. Couple those peapods with the most exciting of all Asian vegetables – the water chestnut – and you’d have a meal to make an eight-year-old gourmand very happy, indeed.

When I enjoy Chinese food as an adult, I often think of the meals I enjoyed in that random restaurant in Naperville, IL. I don’t remember its name, but I will always remember how grown up and sophisticated I felt when we were lucky enough to eat there. This simple recipe took me back to that happy place. Rather than stir-frying the shrimp and veggies, I decided to steam them – and man, what a difference that makes. I love a nice grilled crust on my shrimp, but stir-frying sometimes makes them tough and overcooked. On the contrary, steaming results in a nice, plump, tender shrimp and lightly crisp snowpeas. Add the requisite water chestnuts and a bit of hoisin sauce and you’ve got a perfect example of one of my favorite childhood treats.

Childhood Shrimp and Snowpeas

serves 2

6 to 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 c snow peas

1/3 c water chestnuts (more or less to taste)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 c hoisin sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

hot sauce or cayenne pepper, to taste

cooked rice, for serving

Fill a large saucepan with 1″ of water. Set the pan over medium heat and allow the water to come to a gentle simmer. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and top with the snow peas. Place the steamer basket in the saucepan and cover the pan. Allow the shrimp and peas to steam for 3 to 5 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. (Cooking time will depend on the size of your shrimp; check after 3 minutes and continue to cook if necessary.) Add the water chestnuts to the steamer basket during the last minute or so to heat them through.

As the shrimp and veggies steam, combine the hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and hot sauce or cayenne in a small bowl. Adjust ingredients to suit your tastes and use a bit of water to thin the sauce, if desired. When the shrimp and veggies are done, serve over cooked rice and drizzle with the sauce.