Shrimp with green peas and cashews is the perfect busy weeknight dinner! It's ready in minutes with simple ingredients yet packs incredible flavor. Delicious over steamed rice or noodles!
Looking for an easy dinner idea? This shrimp with green peas and cashews is a must on your meal rotation, especially on nights when you're too busy or too lazy to make a complicated recipe.
It's a 30-minute dish, yet tastes like forever to make. The combination of succulent shrimp, sweet green peas, crunchy roasted cashew, and savory sauce over fluffy steamed rice is sure to hit the spot!
It's quick and easy to make and comes together with simple ingredients you don't have to run around town for.
What you'll need
- Shrimp- I prefer to use shell-on shrimp and peel them myself for better taste and texture
- Onions and garlic
- Celery and carrots- for added color and texture
- Green peas- use frozen sweet peas; I don't recommend canned peas as they're overly salty and not very appetizing.
- Cashews- choose unsalted and roast them to bring out aroma and flavor
- Cornstarch- to thicken the sauce and velvet the shrimp
- Soy sauce- use low sodium variety such as Kikkoman
- Shaoxing wine- Chinese cooking wine; if unavailable, you can substitute dry sherry or cooking sake.
- Oyster sauce- adds umami flavor.
- Brown sugar- for a good balance of sweet and savory
Velveting
Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique commonly used in stir-frying. In this recipe, the shrimp is marinated in a mixture of egg white and cornstarch and briefly blanching in hot oil before finishing off with the other ingredients.
Thsi step provides a protective coat which seals moisture and keeps the shrimp from overcooking, resulting in a soft and tender texture.
How to serve and store
- Serve this easy shrimp and veggie stir-fry as a main dish for lunch or dinner with steamed rice or egg noodles.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months. When meal planning, hold the cashews and top the dish when ready to serve for maximum freshness and crunch.
More shrimp recipes
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 stalks celery, sliced thinly on a bias
- 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- ½ cup roasted cashews, unsalted
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Stir-fry Sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine egg white and cornstarch. Whisk until frothy. well.
- Add shrimp and coat evenly. Marinate for about 10 to 15 minutes and drain well.
- In a bowl, combine stir-fry sauce ingredients: water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, brown sugar, and the 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a wok or wide pan over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add shrimp and cook until the color changes to pink. Remove from pan and keep warm.
- Remove excess oil except for about 1 tablespoon. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 to 40 seconds or until half done.
- Add stir fry sauce (make sure to stir first to disperse cornstarch) and bring to a simmer until slightly thickened.
- Add green peas and shrimp. Continue to cook, stirring to combine, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until green peas and shrimps are heated through and vegetables are tender yet crisp.
- Add roasted cashews and gently toss to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Marc says
So where’s the cashews? When do we put it in??
Jodie Dudang says
Thanks for the recipe. Did i miss the cashew nuts? I might not have seen how its cooked in this recipe.
Korin says
Hello, Ms. Lalaine!
I would like to thank you for sharing your recipes with us. My brother and I are planning to open a restaurant and we've gotten great ideas from your blog.
Thank you and may God reward your generosity!
Lalaine says
Thank you so much, Korin. I wish you the best of luck in your business. Let me know when it opens 🙂
Leiah Falguera says
Happy Birthday Miss Lalaine! Enjoy vegas! 😀 Thank you for this recipe, perfect easy whip for our saturday guests! God bless you!
Lalaine says
Thank you so much, Leaih 🙂
Dinah says
Happy happy birthday Lalaine!!!
Lalaine says
Thank you, Dinah, for the birthday greetings 🙂