Sweet & Sour Shrimp Stir-Fry

Sweet and sour shrimp stir-fry uses a lower-sugar homemade sauce and is loaded with protein and vegetables for a nutritious meal. This recipe cooks quickly on the stovetop for an easy weeknight dinner and stores well in the fridge as leftovers for lunch!

Below you'll find the key ingredients our dietitian used to make this sweet and sour shrimp stir-fry recipe:

• Pineapple: a can of pineapple chunks packed in 100% juice is a star ingredient. The fresh pineapple juice is used in the sauce and the pineapple chunks are integrated into the stir-fry!
• Tomato Paste: Our dietitian chose tomato paste for the sauce but you can sub it out for ketchup if preferred.
• Vinegar: We used rice vinegar but regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar work as well.
• Soy Sauce: we used soy sauce for a salty flavour but you can sub it out for coconut aminos or tamari as a gluten-free substitution. If using tamari, you may want to cut it with water as the flavour is noticeably stronger than soy sauce (eg. 2 tablespoons tamari and 2 tablespoons water).
• Fresh ginger & garlic: our dietitian love the taste and anti-inflammatory benefits of fresh garlic and ginger. If preferred, you can sub fresh ginger and garlic for dried.
• Cornstarch: cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce.
• Shrimp: Our dietitian chose shrimp as the protein source but you can sub shrimp for chunks of chicken breast, pork tenderloin, or air-fried tofu. We used shrimp from Charlie's Seafood Market in Saskatoon.
• Oil: Our dietitian used avocado oil in this recipe as a healthy monounsaturated fat but you can use any neutral cooking oil.
• Bell peppers: Two bell peppers are used in the recipe and our dietitians like choosing two different colours for variety!
• Onion: Our nutritionists chose red onion but any type of onion will work perfectly!
• Carrots: Our nutritionists love the bright orange colour the carrots add to the dish alongside nutritious vitamin A.
• Optional garnishes: Our nutritionists recommend adding sliced green onions for a pop of green!

SWEET & SOUR SHRIMP STIR-FRY

INGREDIENTS

SWEET & SOUR SAUCE*

• ½ cup pineapple juice, from a can of pineapple
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

*NOTE: if you'd like a sweeter sauce, at 1-2 tablespoons of honey to the mixture.

STIR-FRY

• 1 cup uncooked white rice 
• 2 teaspoons oil, divided 
• 1 pound (454g) shrimp
• 1 small red onion (or half a medium onion), chopped
• 2 carrot, chopped
• sprinkle of salt
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced 
• ½ cup canned pineapple chunks 
• Optional: sliced green onion
  
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the sauce by whisking all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

2.  Cook the rice according to the package instructions.

3. Add one teaspoon of oil to a large wok or pan on medium heat and add the shrimp. When the shrimp has cooked, remove it from the pan.

4. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the chopped onion and carrot to the pan. Sprinkle the veggies with salt. Add splashes of water to the pan to deglaze and prevent burning.

5. Cook the carrots and onion until slightly tender and then add the sliced bell pepper and pineapple chunks and cook for about 1-2 minutes.

6. Add the sweet and sour sauce to the pan alongside the cooked shrimp. Let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thick.

7. Remove from the heat and serve alongside rice. Garish with optional green onion.

NOTE: the recipes serves 3-4 depending on appetite. The nutrition information shared is for the stir-fry served without rice. Adding rice will increase the carbohydrate content.

KITCHEN TOOLS

• Wok
• Knife
• Grater (to grate ginger or garlic)

DIETITIAN TIPS

Our team of Registered Dietitians work closely with their one-on-one nutrition coaching clients to menu plan for their personal goals or for their family's unique needs. Our nutritionists love to recommend meal options (like this sweet and sour stir-fry!) that emphasize protein and fibre from an assortment of vegetables.

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD MEALS FOR YOUR GOALS?

Our team of Registered Dietitian support clients through nutrition counselling and coaching to teach them how to build balanced meals and snacks to reach their specific goals. After working with our dietitians you'll understand how to build meals to suit your preferences and have concrete meal and snack ideas to implement into your day! You can book with a dietitian here to get started on your journey!