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Spicy Red Chili Shrimp Sauté with Asian Veg and Rice Noodles
This Spicy Red Chili Shrimp Sauté with Asian Veg and Rice Noodles is an elegant dish that comes together fairly quickly. The bright, rich flavors are absolutely delicious, and it’s a great dish for family style entertaining. If you happen to have leftovers, you’ll be happy to have them the next day!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 - 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound large 13-15 count shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on and shells reserved*
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 – 2 tablespoons fish sauce*
- ¼ cup sambal
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 8 ounces or more cooked “rice stick” or “rice vermicelli” noodles
- ½ pound snow pea pods
- ½ pound baby bok choy about 15 – 18 heads, washed, trimmed & halved
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup carrots peeled and julienned or thinly sliced*
- 1, 8- ounce can bamboo shoots drained
- 1, 8- ounce can sliced water chestnuts drained
- 3 tablespoons light sesame oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced scallions 6 – 7 stalks
- 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- 1, 14- ounce can light coconut milk
- A big handful of cilantro chopped
Instructions
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If using fresh shrimp, peel and devein the shrimp. Then toss the shells in a big pot with about 6 cups of water and bring to a soft over medium-high heat for 20 minutes or so while you prep the rest of the ingredients. When the shrimp water is boiling, strain the shrimp shells out and discard them. Add the liquid from the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, and/or a nice pour of sake to the shrimp water at this time for a little more flavor if you’d like.
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Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the directions on the package. If there aren’t any directions, all you do is soak the noodles in the hot shrimp water for a few minutes until they’re tender. Strain the noodles from the hot water, rinse them with cold water, and strain again. Then set the noodles aside to air dry – making sure to toss them often to avoid sticking – while you prepare the shrimp sauté.
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In a medium-sized glass bowl, add the red curry paste, fish sauce, sambal, and chili sauce, and stir well. Add the peeled shrimp to the bowl, toss to make sure the shrimp are completely coated with sauce, and set aside.
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Prepare the snow pea pods, baby bok choy, red onion, and carrots. Place everything in a bowl and set aside.
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Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sesame oil and allow it to heat just until it reaches the point of smoking, then add the shrimp and sauce. Sauté the shrimp for a minute or two, then add the snow pea pods, baby bok choy, red onion, carrots, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Stir well to coat everything with the oil and sauces, and sauté for another minute or two.
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Add the scallions, sweet soy sauce and coconut milk. {NOTE: This is also where add the shrimp if you sautéed them separately as outlined in the Shrimp Love notes above, or thawed shrimp, if using.} Stir well and cook 1 – 2 minutes until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and heated.
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To serve, layer cooked noodles in the bottom of a bowl or rimmed plate. Spoon shrimp, vegetables and sauce over the noodles and garnish with plenty of fresh chopped cilantro. And a pinch of cracked red pepper flakes if you want. Small “drizzle bowls” filled with sweet chili sauce and sweet soy sauce are optional. Devour immediately.
Recipe Notes
Cook’s notes:
*Carrots: The outer peels can appear “dirty” in the finished dish, so I recommend peeling them before julienning or slicing. You can very quickly “slice” carrots paper thin with your vegetable peeler. Hold the carrot at the top, and “peel” starting at the bottom end using short, quick strokes while turning the carrot, to create super thin, angled slices.
*Fish Sauce: The fish sauce is a great addition in this recipe – in fact, the original recipe called for a lot more. But, due to reader comments on the original recipe and personal preferences, I reduced the amount to allow the other flavors shine and lessen the sodium content a bit. Less fish sauce made this dish more enjoyable the next day as well because fish sauce flavors do tend to build over time.