Stir-fried shrimp sounds great, but let's face it—when ordered out, what arrives at the table is usually just a pile of vegetables peppered with a stingy handful of puny, bouncy shrimp. They're certainly not the flavorful, fresh-tasting crustaceans you were hoping for but have learned not to expect.

This recipe delivers on the promise of tasty, tender, succulent stir-fried shrimp with al dente vegetables in an intensely flavored savory-sweet sauce. The keys to success here are the same ones that were outlined earlier in the lesson: marinating the shrimp, stir-frying the vegetables first and the shrimp second, using medium-low heat for cooking the shrimp, and finishing with aromatics and a sauce mixture that's easy on the cornstarch.

Because the shrimp are cooked in a single speedy batch, this recipe proceeds very quickly once your mise en place is ready. Ring the dinner bell at about the same time you turn on the burner. Serve the stir-fry with steamed rice; it's a perfect foil for the assertively seasoned sauce.

Once you understand this basic recipe, you can substitute other vegetables and other sauces.

Total Cooking Time: 60

Preparation Time: 45

Active Cooking Time: 15

Make Ahead: Serve immediately

Yield: 4 servings

Difficulty: Easy