Jamie Oliver’s Hardly-Any-Prep Shrimp Stir-Fry

This is the kind of recipe where you can swing by the grocery store on your way home from work, pick up a few bits, and have a great meal on the table within ten minutes of arriving in your kitchen. Just get all your stuff ready for this one–when you start cooking, it all kicks off! Good luck.

Serves 2.

a thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh red chile
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 lb large shrimp, raw, peeled
1 heaped teaspoon five-spice powder
1 t cornstarch
1/2 C fresh corn kernels
a small handful of snow peas
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1/2 t honey
1 t sesame oil
a handful of frozen peas
7 oz rice sticks or vermicelli
a small handful of beansprouts
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To prepare:
Put a large pan of water on to boil.
Peel and finely slice the ginger and garlic.
Finely slice the chile.
Pick the cilantro leaves from the stalks and put to one side, then roughly chop the stalks.

To cook:
Preheat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and once it’s very, very hot add a good lug of peanut oil and swirl it around.
Stir in the cilantro stalks, ginger, garlic, chile, shrimp, and five-spice powder, and fry for a minute.
Add the cornstarch, corn, and snow peas and give them a good toss or stir for another minute.
Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, and frozen peas.
Add the rice sticks (or vermicelli) to the pan of boiling water and use a wooden spoon to break them up a bit.
Cook for just 2 minutes, no longer.
Drain the rice sticks in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking water.
Add a large spoonful or ladleful of the cooking water to the wok and cook for a further minutes or two.

To serve:
Use tongs to divide the rice sticks between your serving bowls, or to lift them on to one large serving platter.
Spoon the shrimp, veggies, and any juices over the top and sprinkle with the beansprouts and cilantro leaves.

Jamie Oliver’s Sweet and Sour Pork

Ok, this is easy but it’s a quick one, so you’ll have to concentrate and stay on the ball. Sweet and sour pork is an absolute classic and was one of the first Chinese-style dishes introduced to Britain. I’ve tried to make it fresh, light, and full of wonderful crunch, sweetness, and flavor. I’ve also brightened it up by introducing some lettuce leaves, which add texture and freshness. It’s best to cook this for two–perfect, fast, one-pan cooking for nights in.

Serves 2.

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 C long-grain or basmati rice
1/2 pound pork tenderloin
1 small red onion
1 red or yellow bell pepper (or 1/2 of each)
a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 – 1 fresh red chile, to your taste
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
peanut or vegetable oil
1 heaped teaspoon five-spice powder
1 t cornstarch
2 – 3 T soy sauce
1 (8 oz) can of pineapple chunks
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 small heart of romaine or 1/2 a butterhead lettuce
2 t sesame seeds
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To prepare:
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil and add the rice.
Cook according to the package instructions.
Drain the rice in a strainer, put back into the pan, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm until needed.
Halve the pork tenderloin and cut into 3/4″ cubes.
Peel and halve the red onion, then dice into 3/4″ cubes.
Halve the bell pepper, seed, and cut into 3/4″ cubes.
Peel and finely slice the ginger and garlic.
Finely slice the chile.
Pick the cilantro leaves and put them to one side.
Finely chop the cilantro stalks.

To cook:
Preheat a wok or large frying pan on a high heat and once it’s very, very hot add a good lug of peanut oil and swirl it around.
Add the pork and the five-spice powder and toss or stir them around.
Cook for a few minutes until browned then transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Carefully give the wok or pan a quick wipe with a ball of paper towels and return to the heat.
When it’s really hot, add 2 good lugs of peanut oil and all the chopped ingredients.
Toss or stir everything together and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the cornstarch and 2 T of soy sauce.
Let everything cook for 30 to 40 seconds, then add the pineapple chunks with their juice, the browned pork and balsamic vinegar.
Season with black pepper and a little more soy sauce, if needed.
Break apart a piece of pork, check it’s cooked through, and remove from the heat.
Reduce the sauce to a gravy-like consistency by cooking for a few minutes more.

To serve:
Divide the rice and lettuce between 2 bowls or plates.
Spoon the pork, veggies, and sauce over the top and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and reserved cilantro leaves.