This was an adaptation of a recipe I found here. My husband and I have always enjoyed the Americanized version of this dish (you know, with the opaque sauce and peas and carrots from the local Chinese takeout joint?), but our minds were BLOWN when we ordered this at an incredible Asian restaurant in Chicago. We had never seen this dish with a brown sauce before so I scoured the internet to find a more authentic Cantonese recipe and this one delivered. I couldn’t resist the peas, though.

* Updated 12/16/16 with new pictures (finally!)*

 

This is a dish that comes together VERY quickly so I highly suggest everything be prepped and ready to throw into the wok prior to even turning on the stove. If you don’t own a wok, a large sauté pan will do the job. Just keep an eye on the liquid ingredients to make sure you have plenty of room.

First, marinade the peeled and deveined shrimp.

 

Then, prepare all of the other ingredients. Boil your peas according to package directions, make the “sauce”, prepare chicken broth mixture, prepare cornstarch and water mixture, chop your aromatics, beat your eggs and gather any other utensils/ingredients you may need. Here’s my set up.

 

Now, we’re off! Throw the pork, garlic, ginger, white parts of green onions and Black Bean Sauce into a ripping hot wok (or whatever vessel you have that works best) and let it brown stirring often.

 

Once the pork is browned, add the marinated shrimp and let cook for about a minute. These next 2 pictures show the shrimp JUST ADDED (1) and WHEN I ADDED THE BROTH (2). Notice the shrimp are not cooked through.

 

Add your broth mixture and bring to a quick boil (AKA this is meant to be done over high heat!).

 

Next, add your “sauce” and peas (if using). Let it come back up to a simmer.

 

I didn’t have time to photograph this in stages because it’s a quick process.

1. Add cornstarch mixture and bring to desired consistency. You may want to add a little more than recommended, but I didn’t want to overdo it for the recipe. Remember that adding the egg will thicken it a little more so don’t go crazy.
2. Add your egg in a slow, steady stream all around the wok while slowly stirring. The point is to create nice ribbons of egg without clumping.

 

Finish it up by adding your green onions. If adding crab, add it at this point as well since it is already cooked. (I didn’t use crab this time so it’s not pictured)

 

Serve it up with some white rice and you will have some of the best “take out” food in the comfort of your own home. Actually, it’s better than takeout it’s more like authentic Cantonese. YUM!

 

 

Now, go get your Cantonese cooking on!

 

I’d love to hear any feedback on this recipe (it being my first post and all!) so please give it a whirl and let me know how it turned out!

Enjoy!