Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry

High protein and low carb, shrimp and broccoli stir fry is nutritious, filling and ready in 15! Fat shrimp are sauteed in crispy soy jackets then stir fried with bright broccoli and lively fresh ginger and garlic, all briefly simmered in a slick honey-sweet and oyster-savoury sauce. 

Nothing is going to beat the mighty shrimp (prawn) as the fastest stir fry. But close behind, excluding the marinating time which can be done a day ahead, is beef teriyaki at a mere 25 mins. 

Or if you’re willing to forego the protein in favour of time efficiency, vegetarian yaki udon wins by a country mile coming in at a record-breaking 10 minutes!

We are all under time pressure these days with our 24-hour digital lifestyles, work deadlines and scheduled meetings, school pick ups and drop offs, dates with friends, and finding time to watch the whole Rivals series on Disney+ uninterrupted! But isn’t food where we should slow down?

Yes, a speedy stir fry is a saviour and its appeal lies in rapid wokery, but please, let’s savour the results. Back in the early days of my English teaching career, a senior teacher told me, “Never spend more time planning an activity than it will take the students to complete it.”

I think this philosophy also applies to food. “Don’t slave over a meal that will be scoffed in seconds.” Just call me Confucius.

Shrimp stir fry

This stir fry shrimp recipe is two-step. There is coating and sautéing the shrimp and mixing the sauce for the stir fry. 

Coating the shrimp is a Chinese technique called ‘velveting’. The velvet jacket is a mix of soy sauce and cornstarch which serves to seal in moisture during cooking and shield the flesh from the high wok temps, as well as infusing the prawn meat with dark, earthy soy flavours. The result is a slight crispiness to the outside and a burst of sweetness on the bite.

The sauce itself is slick, not soupy, it shouldn’t swamp the prawns. A heady combination of sweet and dry Chinese wine (similar to sherry), dark marmite-y soy sauce, nose-tickling white pepper (not black!), honey and the confounding flavours of oyster sauce- caramel and notes of sea shell.

The whole dish is a wondrous clash of textures too! As well as the prawn itself, there’s the syrupy sauce they’re simmered in, and the snappy broccoli. 

Personally, I find these double-dose recipes sumptuous and fantastically complex in flavour. But sometimes it’s just too much faff and I want a one-wok wash up! Here are some low-demand shrimp and vegetable stir fry recipes for inspo:

1. Prawn noodle stir fry is brimming with bright vegetables and skinny egg noodles in an oyster and sesame sauce.
2. Speedy sesame shrimp stir fry is powerful ginger, garlic and chili with classic stir fry vegetables and rice noodles. 
3. Easy prawn stir fry is low carb (no noodles) and doubles down on sautéed vegetables in a smoky hoisin sauce.
4. Sweet chili shrimp stir fry has fantastic vegetables in a sweet and soy chili sauce.

Serving suggestions

When I’m focussing on a stir fry and time is of the essence, I stick to sides that are unfussy and hand-off. All this shrimp and broccoli stir fry really needs is rice, plain fluffy white rice will do, or this very convenient instant pot coconut rice. 

If you have an extra pair of hands however, put them to work with chicken fried rice or vegan dan dan noodles if you like it hot.

Storage and leftovers

Get leftover shrimp and vegetable stir fry into the fridge within one hour of cooking. Well covered, it can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. I reheat mine in a hot wok to avoid a rubbery fate.

More recipes to try

• Beef Teriyaki
• Singapore Noodles
• Szechuan Chicken (Sichuan Chicken)
• Easy Thai Red Curry with Prawns and Snow Peas