Shrimp Dish Not Too Sweet Or Too Sour

Lightly stir-fried shrimp and a tangy sauce make sweet and sour shrimp incredibly popular. There is probably more sweet and sour sauce consumed in American and European restaurants than in Canton, the city of its origin.

This easy version of sweet and sour shrimp balances sugar and vinegar so that one flavor does not dominate.

Serve it with Chinese rice cooked until tender but not mushy. The secret is to rinse the rice well before cooking to get rid of excess starch, and to let it sit, covered, for a few minutes after it cooks. Start the rice first and let it sit while you cook the shrimp.

This meal contains a total of 450 calories per serving, with 18.5 percent of calories from fat.

Chinese Boiled Rice

1/2 cup long grain white rice

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place rice in a strainer and rinse well, rubbing grains with fingers. Place in a medium sized sauce pan. Add water and oil. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir, lower heat to medium, cover and continue to boil, about 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir to make sure no rice sticks to the bottom of the pan. If rice is still very moist, simmer uncovered until only a few drops of moisture remain. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let mature 10 minutes while shrimp is prepared. Loosen grains before serving.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 189 calories, 3 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fat (13 percent fat calories), 0.5 grams fiber, no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.

Sweet And Sour Shrimp

1-1/2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3/4 tablespoon cornstarch

4 tablespoons water

3/4 pound large shrimp

2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

3/4 medium green pepper sliced (1 cup)

2 scallions sliced

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger chopped (1 tablespoon)

2 medium cloves garlic crushed

Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, tomato puree and sherry together. Blend the cornstarch and water to a smooth consistency and add to the mixture. Stir until smooth. Remove shells from shrimp, devein and rinse. Pat dry with paper towel.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok or skillet. When oil is smoking, add shrimp. Stir fry 1 minute and remove to a plate. Add green pepper, scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir fry 1 minute. Add sauce mixture. Heat until thick, about 2 minutes.

Return shrimp to pan and toss about 30 seconds. Serve over Chinese Boiled Rice.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 261 calories, 27 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams fat (24 percent fat calories), 0.6 grams fiber, 197 milligrams cholesterol, 678 milligrams sodium.