Vietnamese Style Stir-fried Shrimp with Green Beans

I love Vietnamese food, although around here the selection is very limited.  We have a number of good places to choose from, but it's mostly Pho and grilled shrimp or chicken or whatever over rice or vermicelli.  Oh and don't forget the spring and summer rolls!  The first time I decided to make a bun dish at home I was amazed at the ingredients in the sauce that is used widely in Vietnamese food.  It's a combo of fish sauce, garlic, lime juice, and sugar, depending on the recipe there may be chilis or carrots added to it.  Thus I purchased my first of many bottles of fish sauce, something that on it's own still seems quite, well yucky.

This dish and many other fabulous dishes rely on this yucky fish sauce, which when incorporated gives a flavoring that cannot be duplicated. I do a lot of stir-fry in our house.  Basically it's a great way to make a fast flavorful dish with good veggies incorporated.  The problem is, I do same basic stir-fry over and over.  Oh yes, I change the meat the selection of veggies, but I basically use the same seasonings.  What I like about this dish is the flavor that the fish sauce and oyster sauce give to it.  It's not my regular stir fry.

Vietnamese Style Stir-fried Shrimp with Green Beans

1 cup jasmine rice
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 lbs extra large shrimp, peeled and deveinded
3 tablespoon avocado oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, chopped (keep seeds for more heat, discard for less heat)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup basil leaves cut into ribbons
juice of 1 lime

Put the jasmine rice and 2 cups water in rice cooker, set to cook.

Combine the corn starch and water and and stir until the corn starch is dissolved.  Pour over the shrimp, toss and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat.  Add the onions and jalapeno, stir fry for about 30 seconds then add the garlic for another 10 seconds.   Add the shrimp and green beans, stir fry until the shrimp begin to turn pink about 4-5 minutes.  Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce and broth, cook and stir until the shrimp is cooked.  Add the bell pepper, basil and lime juice stir and then remove from heat.

Serve over jasmine rice.