Easy lazy wok for light dinner

When I don't really feel like cooking but I've got someone over for dinner, I usually go for a wok. 
It's quick, light and pretty much unmissable.
You just need to have a few tricks up your sleeves to make sure it's going to be a true success.
This is a special for all the lazy gourmets who don't want to spend hours in their kitchens but still appreciate a decent supper.
Once you understand the global idea, you can come up with an infinite number of variations, depending on what is left in your cupboards... it's pretty useful really.

So here are my little cheats on how to make a scrumptious wok from scratch :

1. Heat it up.
Don't be afraid to have a very hot wok, it will keep your ingredients nice and crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside.
Think barbecue. You are not here to make a stew. Fresh, crispy, zesty are the key words to your success.

2. Use sauces and spices.
Anything you can get your hands on.
Ginger, soy sauce, chili, curry, tandoori, garlic, hoisin, lemon. You only have a few ingredients so try to put flavors in there to pep things up.

3. Make scrumptious sauces.
The reason why restaurants always have thick, scrumptious sauces and you don't is simple.
Two words: Corn. Starch.
"What the hell is she talking about", is probably what you are thinking right now. Well, my dear friends, one of the best kept secret of Chinese cuisine is not the difference between ying and yang. No, dear readers, it is quite disappointedly corn starch.
You will see how to use it in the upcoming recipe.

4. Go green. 
One thing makes a huge difference in a wok: fresh herbs.
Just scatter a few leaves of coriander, parsley or even basil on you dish just upon serving it. It will add a dash of color AND great fresh flavors to your steaming plate.

To show you how easy it is to cook a lazy wok for a very light dinner, here is a recipe I made with what I had at home. My guest told me he had not eaten such good food in a very long time.
So you see it is as easy as that!


Easy ginger and soy sauteed shrimps

Ingredients for 2

500g of shrimps (cooked or not)
2 medium sized eggplants
Ginger
1 small oignon
Soy sauce
Lemon
Sugar
Coriander
Shichimi (Japanese chili mix you can replace with chili or tabasco)
Mirin (japanese rice vinegar)
Chicken broth

As you may see in this list of ingredients everything is approximate. I will however try to give you an idea of quantities.

1. Shell your shrimps and clean them. Put them aside. Cut your eggplants in small squares. Steam them (I usually do it in the microwave on full power in a closed container for about 6 or 7 minutes until tender).

2. Heat up your wok. Put a little bit a oil (olive, vegetable or sesame works well). Put your small onion cut into small pieces with thinly sliced ginger (I like to put A LOT. About 2 or 3 centimeters). Cook until tender.

3. Prepare the sauce: 2 Tbs of soy sauce, 1 Tbs of lemon juice, a bit of chili or Tabasco, 1/2 Tbs of Mirin. 1 Tbs of sugar. Pour it on the eggplants in the wok. Then add your shrimps.

4. Cook for a few minutes than add a cup of chicken broth and continue to cook.Pour in some corn starch in a glass, add a bit of water and stir. Add the mixture in your wok. The sauce will thicken upon heating.

5. Cook until the sauce is thick, stir well the shrimps and eggplants. When serving add some coriander.
Serve with steamed rice.

This was a very good surprise. Both sweet with sugar and zesty with ginger and lemon, it also had a final touch of spiciness thanks to the Japanese chili mix.
My friend is typically someone who does not eat spicy at all, so I only used a pinch of this chili mix. It turned out perfectly.
At each spoonful, you have a feeling of freshness and tanginess and it is only once you have swallowed that you feel a little bit of heat in your mouth. It enhances the aromas and adds something to the dish, I really recommend that you keep it in the recipe.

So you see, cooking a wok is easy. You just have to have a little bit of imagination and a few tricks. Oh and corn starch. Don't forget to buy some next time you run errands !