Shrimps, Peas with Cashews

In younger days, eating out meant going to a Chinese Restaurant. Shrimps, Peas with Cashews was one of our favorites. We used to order two because one was not enough to go around the table. An order of course was very expensive because shrimps in the Philippines are expensive. We always saw the stares of whoever was paying for the meal on that night but we always seemed not to get the message or pretended we did not see those stares. It’s ironic how we remember those stares now that we're older and we have to pay for our meals.

When I was young, it seemed to be a very complicated recipe but as it turned out, this one is easy to make after all. I usually buy the shrimps when they go on sale and just shovel them in the freezer. They make good quick meals when needed.

What you need:

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 lb of shelled shrimps
2 pieces of carrots cut in small cubes
1 cup of sliced celery sliced into about ½ inch
1 cup of frozen green peas
400 gms of snow peas, cleaned at the edges
1 clove of minced garlic
salt to taste
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in a cup of water
½ cup of cashew nuts

How to cook it:

1. In a pan or wok, saute shrimps in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 2 minutes, set aside
2. On the same pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and put carrots in, sauté for about ha1f a minute
3. Stir in celery and cook for about half a minute
4. Stir in green peas and cook for about another half a minute
5. Add in snow peas and shrimps and stir for a minute
6. Add salt to taste, sesame oil and add in cornstarch, keeping in mind tokeep stirring until the corn starch “solution” is cooked. Add the garlic.
7. Put in serving bowl and add over the cashew nuts.

When cooking this, it is always best served warm and crunchy that’s why every minute counts. You don’t want to overcook the vegetables, the snow peas most especially. You also do not want to cook the cashew nuts because you want the crunch out of it. You might want to adjust the cooking time because the elevation of your location also affects your cooking temperature.