John Whaite’s spicy ginger and chilli scallop stir fry

While I love a monthly Chinese takeout, I often crave something sweet and sour in the week but don’t necessarily want to spend both calories and cash on something which is relatively unhealthy. This spicy ginger and chilli scallop stir fry is undoubtedly the answer.

Ironically the preparation of the ingredients is the part that takes the longest here, but that too is merely a matter of minutes. The dish itself cooks within a matter of seconds and so there is no excuse not to throw those dirty take-out cards into the bin (or at least into a drawer, only to be used when times are truly desperate).

Ingredients
For the sauce:
2tsp fish sauce
2tsp oyster sauce
1tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp dark muscovado sugar
Juice of ½ lime
To thicken:
1tsp cornflour
1tsp water
For the stir fry:
2tbsp sunflower oil
1 fat red chilli, finely sliced
2 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
½ yellow pepper, finely sliced
3 spring onions, finely sliced (including green ends)
150g small scallops (or large scallops chopped into nuggets)

Method
1. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl and have ready. In a small cup mix together the cornflour and water and have that also to hand.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until it gets extremely hot, then reduce the heat to medium. Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds, then add the pepper and spring onions and stir for a few seconds more. Add the scallops to the pan and stir until the scallops turn from their gentle creamy grey colour to a dull white – this will only take seconds.
3. Immediately add the sauce to the pan and stir for about 10 seconds, then add the cornflour solution and stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat immediately and serve.

Follow John Whaite on Twitter @JohnWhaiteBakes or visit his official website.

More from John Whaite on attitude.co.uk:

> John Whaite’s spicy summertime meatballs
> John Whaite’s great bake for a Parisian-inspired afternoon tea
> John Whaite’s Valentine’s Day sweet treat