Stir-Fried Sesame Shrimp

Our 22 year old sat down to dinner tonight, he looked at this yummy shrimp stir-fry and said, "I'm so glad I was born to this family." That my friends is why I cook!

This recipe was adapted from a recipe in America's Test Kitchen, The Best Simple Recipes Cookbook. More than 200 flavorful, foolproof recipes that cook in 30 minutes or less. I like this cookbook because it tells me why things work and what products to use. It is a cooking class in a book. I now know the difference between fish sauce and oyster sauce. I know what Asian chili-garlic sauce is and how much heat is in each kind. I know how to toast sesame seeds and why toasted sesame oil is added as a cooking oil and a flavoring. So much to learn. If you read cookbooks like novels America's Test Kitchen Cookbooks can't be beat.
This simple stir-fry was excellent, asparagus is at its peak so make it soon. Cooking time is minimal but as with all stir fry recipes the success is in the preparation. Read the recipe carefully and have ingredients measured and ready to go. It was yummy--we will make it again soon.

Stir-Fried Sesame Shrimp
3 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
2 teaspoons Asian chili-garlic sauce
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Combine scallion whites, chili-garlic sauce, ginger and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil in a small bowl. Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp and cook until just opaque, about 1 minute. Clear center of skillet, add scallion mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into pan until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir mixture into shrimp. Transfer to bowl.
Reduce heat to medium. Add asparagus and water to empty skillet. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and simmer until just tender about 2 minutes. Add shrimp mixture and oyster sauce and cook until sauce is thickened and shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame seeds and remaining sesame oil. Sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve with white rice.