Three-Color Stir-Fried Shrimp
Summer heat kills your appetite and makes heavy diet meals feel even harder to stick to? This bright three-color shrimp stir-fry is the light, satisfying solution I reach for on warm weight loss days
Ingredients
- 200 g peeled deveined shrimp
- 1 carrot
- ½ cucumber
- 1 bowl sweet corn kernels
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce,
Instructions
- Prep all vegetables first: Peel carrot and cut into small, uniform cubes, dice cucumber to match the same size, and mince the garlic. Keeping dice consistent ensures every ingredient cooks through evenly in the quick stir-fry
- Marinate the shrimp: Rinse shrimp well and pat completely dry with paper towels. Toss with cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt and pepper, then let rest for 10 minutes. Dry surface helps shrimp sear nicely instead of steaming in their own moisture
- Sear the shrimp ahead of time: Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and stir-fry just until they turn fully pink and opaque. Scoop them out right away and set aside — even 30 extra seconds can turn shrimp tough and rubbery
- Cook the vegetable base: In the same pan, add a touch more oil if needed. Sauté minced garlic until fragrant, then toss in carrot cubes first. Stir-fry for about 1 minute until carrots soften slightly, then add cucumber dice and corn kernels, stirring for another 30 seconds until crisp-tender
- Combine and finish: Return the seared shrimp to the pan. Season with a light pinch of salt and a small splash of light soy sauce. Toss everything quickly and evenly to coat, then turn off the heat immediately. Serve while hot
Notes
- Keep shrimp tender: High heat and short cooking time are the rules for juicy shrimp. Removing them before cooking veggies, then adding back at the end, is the easiest way to avoid overcooking.
- Crunchy veggie hack: For extra bright color and crispness, blanch carrot and corn in boiling salted water for 1 minute before stir-frying. Shock them in ice water to lock in texture.
- Lower-fat option: Use a good non-stick pan and reduce oil to just 1 teaspoon, or use cooking oil spray to cut calories even further.
- Meal prep trick: Dice all vegetables and marinate shrimp the night before. Store separately in the fridge, then stir-fry in 5 minutes for a fast workday lunch.