Our favorite stir fry was shrimp with mixed vegetables from a local Chinese restaurant. The shrimp were fantastic! Large and very delicious and the sauce was wonderful (it was a white sauce). The shrimp were firm yet kind of soft - I don't really know how to describe them - but they were definitely not rubbery. Since we're now leery of the sauce because of carbs I have tried to make my own shrimp stir fry. But, I just cannot get the shrimp or the sauce even close to the quality of the restaurant's. I tried buying high quality shrimp and being careful not to overcook them and have tried various sauces, but was very disappointed with the results. Anyone have any ideas? I have such a craving for that great stir fry. Thanks for any help you can give me.

A common technique in Chinese cooking is called "velveting". Meat and fish is marinated in a mixture of cornstarch, egg white and seasonings before it's dipped in hot oil or liquid. Then it's stir-fried. It gives meat and seafood a great texture.

It's almost impossible to duplicate in the low-carb way because of the cornstarch used in the sauce and marinade, not to mention the sugar.

It wouldn't work for the velveting, but xanthan gum works well as a thickener in sauces. Here's another thread on thickeners.

Wish I could be of more help.

Karen

Karen,

Thanks for the info. I was afraid that I would not be able to duplicate that stir fry doing low carb. At least I know that I should avoid it at the restaurant, too. Thanks also for the link to the tips on thickening. I'll be sure to try the cauliflower for meat sauces. I have used the cream cheese for some and it worked well. Thanks for all your help!