Name: Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with Rum
Yield: Serves 2 to 3 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal.
Ingredients: 1 pound large shrimp; Juice of 1/2 lime; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 3 tablespoons dark Jamaican rum; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper; 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 tablespoon minced ginger; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 medium ripe tomato, cut into thin wedges; 1 large green bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 small onion, cut into thin wedges; 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

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Chinese Trinidadian Stir-Fried Shrimp with RumMark Needham

When I was in Trinidad, Winnie Lee Lum showed me how to make this superb dish, which beautifully demonstrates the convergence of Chinese and Trinidadian cooking traditions. Of course, the taste was extraordinary because Lee Lum only cooks with fresh local shrimp that her husband, Tony, purchases for her. Before cooking, she rinses the shrimp in lime juice, a Trinidadian cooking practice said to remove the "fishy" taste. She prefers the Chinese custom of cooking the shrimp in the shell to protect the shrimp's succulence and flavor. Rather than rice wine, Lee Lum insists on using dark Jamaican-style rum; according to her, white rum is too harsh for cooking. This is one of the easiest dishes to stir-fry, and it is guaranteed to satisfy.

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