Shrimp with Lobster Sauce (take-out version)
There is no lobster in the sauce of this dish; the name comes from the type of sauce the Cantonese use when preparing Cantonese lobster. This is a recipe for Shrimp with Lobster Sauce that is often featured at Chinese take-outs and restaurants, which is made without the fermented black beans used traditionally in Cantonese lobster - in other words, a modified lobster sauce.
Fresh shrimp, deveined and butterflied, 10 - 15 per person
4 to 8 spring onion (green onions, scallions), chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped or minced
2 cups of chicken stock (2 cups water with chicken bouillion powder, or chicken broth)
4 tablespoons of sweet white wine, such as sweet Glen Ellen White Zinfandel
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water
4 egg whites, beaten with 1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying
1 to 2 cups pork fried rice (1 cup for 2 people, 2 cups for 3 or more)
Rinse the shrimp in warm water and pat dry. Rinse the spring onions, drain and chop. Chop or mince the garlic cloves. Combine the chicken stock, white wine, soy sauce, and sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into 1/2 cup water.
Whisk the egg whites into 1/4 cup water and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok, large pot, or frying pan or skillet on medium high to high heat. Stir fry the garlic and spring onions for about 30 seconds to a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the shrimp and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth mixture, bring to a boil and boil about 1 minute.
Re-stir the cornstarch and water mixture and stir it into broth. Immediately afterward, slowly pour in the egg whites, breaking them up by gently stirring them with a fork (the author recommends stirring them twice across and then twice across again in a tic tack toe pattern). Be careful not to overstir the egg whites.
The dish is ready when the sauce begins to boil and thicken. Serve over the pork fried rice.
