Thai Shrimp Stir-fry with Tomatoes and Basil

I always do this…

I find something I like, and I get hooked. When it comes to finding a food I love – i’ll eat it nonstop until I find the next food victim I fall for… or until the delivery guy tells me I order too much – true story (sushi delivery dude – such a jerk!)

The latest obsession has been thai food. A few weeks ago I was in a pinch for time, racking my brain – and maybe slightly freaking out – on what the heck to make C and I for dinner. I don’t cook well under pressure. Instead of dishes and potential kitchen meltdowns, I made an executive decision to just grab take out.

Now – this can be more work than it seems. I am so indecisive when it comes to meals; ordering dinner for two people can be tricky, and I’m always eager to please.

I did some extensive yelp! searches and found a decent thai restaurant offering take out – and reasonable prices – just a few blocks from my apartment. C and I both like thai; ding ding ding – we have a winner! I called, ordered a few dishes, picked them up at the promised time, and set on home. I was not exactly expecting to love my dinner; it’s a rarity that take out has the “wow” factor.

Oh – dear sweet friends – how wrong I was. How did I forget about thai food?!

I love thai food! Love = thai food. Thai food = love.

It’s bright! It’s spicy! It’s – dare I say it – exciting! I’m excited by food… hmmm – this is not shocking I suppose.

I ordered thai the next night too. C gave me a strange look, but enjoyed his noodles and didn’t seem to mind. The past few weeks I’ve sneakily picked up the little habit of swiping an order of pan fried noodles or curry on my walk home; I got even lazier last week and began getting it delivered. Taking out my recycling and seeing the mountain of take out containers shocked me back to life – back to cooking. That, and my increasingly tighter jeans.

I googled recipes for hours. I consistently came up with recipes I knew I would never succeed in doing – recipes for disaster. My kitchen is small. I fear flying grease. I drink wine while I cook and get frustrated easily.

I finally found this “slimmed” recipe, and felt like I would get a decent meal from this without any fires, tears, or caving into just getting the damn food delivered.

The ingredient list is a bit extensive. Most of it is produce, and worth all the chopping. Now, whatever you do – do not skip the fresh basil and mint. The basil and mint make this dish worth making. I promise. I loved the spicy kick from the jalapeno and chili flakes, but the fresh lime juice does mellow out the heat – don’t get scared off!

While this dish didn’t speak fluent thai to me – it did the trick. In fact, I’ve made this twice now. It has great flavor for a stir fry. I’ve been loving it over a bed of jasmine rice. And it’s a nice change from the normal pasta dinners I usually go to by habit on the weekdays. Fresh ingredients, full of flavor, and easy on the waistline makes it easy to love.

Do you ever get stuck in a delivery/ take out rut?

Thai Shrimp Stir – fry with Tomatoes and Basil – The Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons Southeast Asian fish sauce
4 teaspoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated, peeled, fresh ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 medium red onion, cut in 1-inch dice
1 medium yellow pepper, seeded, cut in 1-inch dice
1 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Serving suggestion: Jasmine rice

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, fish sauce, and sugar; set aside. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink but still translucent in the middle, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the onion, pepper, and chile to the skillet, and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan along with the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, and stir-fry until the sauce glazes the shrimp, about 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and stir until coated with sauce, about 15 seconds. Remove pan from the heat, stir in the basil, mint, and lime juice. Transfer to a serving dish, serve immediately.