Spicy Shrimp and Rice

In spite of our being tightwads, Dan and I often eat shrimp.  We love them, they're low in fat, and they thaw out really quickly.  Plus, we usually stretch them into a whole meal by adding rice or pasta.  This is an Asian-inspired dish we make a few times a month.  If you're in a hurry you can use canned chicken broth instead of making your own shrimp broth.  I like to buy frozen shrimp since the stuff at the grocery store has been previously frozen.  I'll thaw them out myself, thanks.

This dinner serves 2 people.

For the shrimp:

12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells set aside for broth
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. canola oil
 freshly ground black pepper

Combine these in a bowl.  Let marinate while you make the broth.

Shrimp Broth
Shrimp shells
2 1/2 cups water
1 small clove garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 small shallots, sliced in half lengthwise (don't even bother peeling it)
1 small bay leaf
1/2 tsp table salt

Put all the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 10 minutes.  20 is better if you can wait.  Strain into a bowl or large measuring cup, pressing on the shells and such to get all the liquid out.


For the Rice:
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups shrimp broth

Combine in the bowl of a rice cooker or a saucepan, and cook as you normally would cook rice.

And now for the most important component:

Spicy Sauce
1/2 cup shrimp broth
1/2 tsp. (or more) chili-garlic sauce (the chunky kind from Thailand)
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Whisk these together in a measuring cup and put it near the stove. 

When the rice is about 5 minutes from being done, preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add a little bit of canola oil or cooking spray, then stir fry the shrimp until pink and opaque (this doesn't take long, maybe 3 minutes for medium-sized shrimp).  Whisk the sauce to recombine, then pour over the shrimp in the pan, and heat until the sauce boils and thickens.  Serve immediately over the rice you just made.