This recipe is really well balanced, both in flavor and in nutrition. I chose to buy uncooked shrimp so that they would not be tough in the finished dish. Feel free to use precooked, just be sure to add them at the last possible minute so that they heat through, but not overcook. Also note that if you use a commercial kind of dried apricots which are sweetened then you will have a sweet and sticky sauce. If you purchase just dried apricots (like the kind in the loose bins at the CoOp or Whole Foods) which are unsweetened, you will have a less sweet sauce and may wish to add some simple syrup, or karo syrup, or even a tablespoon of brown sugar.

Ingredients

  • 4 dried apricots
  • 3/4 cup water, divided
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly peeled ginger
  • 1 pound small broccoli florets
  • 3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 3 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used hot sesame oil)

Directions

  1. Place the apricots in a small bowl with 1/4 cup boiling water and let soak for half an hour
  2. Heat 1/2 of the oil in a frying pan and lightly toast the sesame seeds
  3. Remove the seeds from the pan and set them aside, add the remaining oil, and cook the shrimp until they just orange on the outsides (about a minute per side), then remove from pan and set aside
  4. Transfer the apricots and their soaking liquid to a food processor and zip until a paste forms, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally
  5. Add the garlic and ginger and pulse
  6. With the processor running, add the coconut milk and tamari and process until just combined, then set aside
  7. Bring the remaining 1/2 cup water to a simmer in a skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 5 minutes
  8. Uncover, add shrimp and apricot mixture and stir until shrimp and broccoli are coated. Continue to cook about 3 minutes or until heated through
  9. Stir in crushed red pepper
  10. Plate over rice and garnish with sesame seeds

This recipe found its inspiration from this Whole Foods Market post.

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