Easy Shrimp in Spicy Sauce

Wow, fourteen days of silence and it really pains me that I am neglecting my baby so here I am again trying to explain why and what kept me away and from blogging. First, our renovation situation which thankfully is making progress; second- I have browser issues in the laptop which I am using while my desktop is still out of commission. Hence, I’m not digging the way it’s not that user-friendly; it just fails to inspire.

Where I’m at allows me to cook and bake but I don’t enjoy the same freedom I have in the comfort of our own home. So everything is quick and easy like this Easy Shrimp in Spicy Sauce. Initially, I wanted to keep the heads as well but failed in some. I guess that's the only challenging aspect of the dish. Everything else is easy. Let me point out too that I gave the shrimps a generous shower of the 21 seasoning salute. I mentioned that I will give an update when I try it on another dish. Here goes:

Ingredients:

1 lb large shirmps
1 tsp sea salt (after watching Alton on FN and saying salt comes from the sea so salt is definitely sea salt I can't help but laugh ha ha ha....)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped finely
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger sliced thinly
2 tbsp ketchup
chopped spring onion
2 tbsp all-purpose flour mixed with 2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp 21-seasoning salute (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 rounds of canola oil just to coat the pan
1 1/2 cup water

Procedure:

Wash, shell and devein shrimps but leave the tails and heads if you want for better presentation. I used my kitchen shears to do this. Keep the shrimps in a strainer to remove excess water from washing
Whisk together sea salt, ground pepper and the flour mixture and sprinkle over shrimps making sure each piece is coated
Heat canola oil in a pan over medium high heat
Fry the shrimps about a minute on each side or when they start to turn pink and plump
Scoop the cooked shrimps and transfer into a bowl
To the same pan, add a chug of canola oil and saute the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes for about a minute
Add the hoisin sauce, water and stir
Add ketchup and allow to boil
Add the shrimps when the sauce starts to slightly thicken
Cook for another two minutes then add the sesame oil and spring onion
Serve hot with rice

Notes:

You can thicken the sauce some more if it's still a little bit runny for your taste by using cornstarch- about a level tablespoon and two tablespoons water
Feel free to add some more red pepper flakes for a stronger kick
Do not overcook the shrimps or they will become hard and rubbery.
I used my 21 seasoning salute as well when seasoning the shrimps prior to dredging with flour so I got a major flavor explosion. My pictures didn't give the dish justice :-(