Vietnamese Mint Shrimp

The use of diverse marinades and cooking techniques creates the Vietnamese flair for meats and seafood.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon garlic oil or another flavored oil, depending on desired taste
4 large-sized stalks of green onions, diced
Fish sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1 cup of shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 (14-ounce) cans of bamboo shoots
Crushed red chili peppers (optional)
Fresh mint, about 12 leaves
2 cups pre-cooked white rice

Method:

Heat the oil and saut‚ the onions in a non-stick saut‚ pan or wok over medium heat until soft. Add a couple dashes of fish sauce and stir so that the onions do not burn. Mix in the sugar.

Turn up the heat and add the shrimp, cooking until almost done, stir frying the entire time. Toss in the bamboo shoots and some chili and finally the mint leaves so that they don't cook longer than 30 seconds. Serve over rice.

Gail Greco is the food editor of Carefree Cooking; a field editor for Romantic Homes magazine; and a contributor to many other publications.  She has authored more than 15 books on cooking, decorating, and home lifestyle.