Going Solo

Cooking for myself does not necessarily mean cooking a simple meal. I'm every bit as likely to coax a risotto and pork roast along on a Wednesday night as I am to toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave. But for the most part, my solo meals fall somewhere in between.

I picked up some shrimp when I was at the store because... well, just because. I had a vague idea of what I wanted by the time I made it to the produce department. Peeling the shrimp actually took longer than putting the whole thing together, especially since I decided to forego the side of rice I had planned.

It's still a step up from eating Häagen-Dazs over the sink.

Honey Sesame Shrimp

1 small onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup snow peas
1 Tbs canola oil
½ tsp chile flakes
2 Tbs sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
¼” chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, rinsed and then patted dry
1 Tbs sesame seeds (I used a combo of regular and black)
2 Tbs Sake
3 Tbs Soy sauce
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs Thai sweet chile sauce
½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder

In a wok or large frying pan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the onion, broccoli and snow peas and stir fry just until onions begin to turn translucent. Remove vegetables to a bowl, leaving the remaining oil. Add chile flakes and sesame oil to the pan. Allow to heat briefly and then add garlic and ginger. Sauté, stirring frequently, just until garlic softens and begins to turn golden. Add Shrimp and continue to sauté just until the shrimp begins to turn opaque. Add the sesame seeds and continue to cook for another 30 seconds or so. Deglaze pan with sake. Add soy sauce, honey, chile sauce and 5-spice. Cook and stir until liquid reduces slightly, making a glaze. Add vegetables back to pan.

Serve with rice.