Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 4

We made watery soy-sauce based stir fries for years before discovering this recipe and have never gone back. Feel free to substitute the vegetables that you have and like for the ones in the recipe; this combination is just our favorite.

Shrimp
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large (30-40) shrimp , peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice or white vinegar
2 tablespoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Vegetables
1 large shallot , sliced thin (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 pound snow peas or sugar snap peas, stems snapped off and strings removed
1 medium red bell pepper , seeded and cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 heads shanghai bok choy chopped, stems and leaves divided

Combine minced garlic with shrimp, ginger, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and salt in medium bowl. Let shrimp marinate at room temperature 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, sherry, sesame oil, ketchup, and cornstarch in small bowl. Combine sliced garlic with shallot in second small bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add snow peas, bell pepper and bok choy stems and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to brown, 1½ to 2 minutes. Transfer vegetables to medium bowl.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat until just smoking. Add garlic-shallot mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to brown, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are light pink on both sides, 1 to 1½ minutes. Whisk soy sauce mixture to recombine and add to skillet; return to high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Return vegetables to skillet along with the bok choy leaves and stir for a minutes until the leaves begin to wilt.

Serve over rice.

#stir fry