Discover the Rich Flavors of Vietnamese-style Shrimp and Green Beans Stir-fry

If you're looking to explore an exciting cuisine with a handful of ingredients, then this Vietnamese-style dish is just the thing. Let's delve right into the tantalizing mix of shrimps and green beans, all brought together in a well-seasoned wok that works its magic to create a savoury blend whose simplicity belies its richness.

This dish embraces stir-frying, a cooking art form originating from China that has wooed taste buds worldwide. The technique involves sautéing ingredients-ranging from proteins and vegetables to condiments-in a wok over a high flame with only a drizzle of oil. The floor of the wok is traditionally heated to a high temperature, using relatively little oil, to sauté the ingredients in small portions, preserving their natural texture and color.

The sequence in which ingredients are introduced to the stir-fry is crucial. Start with the oil heating in the already warmed pan, then add the aromatic elements like garlic, moving to proteins and vegetables according to their cooking time durations; the longer their cooking time, the earlier they should join the cookout. In this specific case, considering the shrimp's cooking time, introduce them earlier than the green beans. Lastly, sauces, condiments, and garnishes are added nearer to the completion of frying to prevent them from charring.

In our featured recipe, after heating the vegetable oil in the sizzling-hot wok, you sauté garlic for just ten seconds before inviting the shrimps and a pinch of salt. As the shrimps begin their transition to a rosy hue, the green beans enter the mix, stirred in chicken stock for a brief three minutes until they've softened just the right amount. The remaining chicken stock is then fused with fish sauce and a generous dose of pepper. This is stir-fried until the succulent shrimp is cooked thoroughly and the green beans are gastronomically crisp-tender.

The winning touch in this Vietnamese-inspired dish is the fish sauce, made from fermented fish or mini crustaceans. Its unique saltiness merges with the acidic sweetness to bring forth a profound flavor in the shrimp, whilst emphasizing the down-to-earth taste of the green beans.

If, at any point, you face the dilemma of your ingredients sticking to the wok-especially the proteins-allow them to bask untouched on the wok's surface for a short while. This will allow a crust to form, which will then naturally release them from their sticky predicament.

Go ahead; taste the exotic flavors this simple dish has to offer. Not only will it be a feast for the taste buds, but also an enriching culinary adventure!