Recipe and photo courtesy of Thewoksoflife.com

Chinese Shrimp Cakes

• 1 lb shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined
• 1 small (1.8 oz) carrot
• 5 water chestnuts (freshly peeled or from a can), minced
• ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Lightly smash them with the side of a knife, and coarsely chop them. Be careful not to mince the shrimp into pieces that are too small.

Split the carrot in half crosswise, then lengthwise, and blanch the pieces in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and finely dice the carrot.

In a mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, carrot, water chestnuts, cilantro, ginger, egg white, cornstarch, sesame oil, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar and pepper. Whip everything together with a rubber spatula for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is sticky and all ingredients are well combined. You should be able to gather it into one big smooth ball with a rubber spatula.

Heat a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp oil; reduce heat to medium. With oiled hands, take a portion of the shrimp mixture and roll it into a ball (about the size of a golf ball). Drop the ball into the oiled pan and use an oiled spatula to quickly press it into a flat disc. Repeat until all the shrimp cakes are in the pan.

Pan-fry each side of the shrimp cakes for about 3 minutes, until golden brown. Add the remaining oil if needed during pan-frying. Makes 5 servings (10 shrimp cakes).