Kung Pao Shrimp (Kung Pao Prawn/宫保虾) Recipe
June 15th, 2009 | 30-Minute Meals Recipes, Chinese, Chinese Recipes | 31 Comments
I am back after spending 3 weeks in Asia, including a few busy days in Penang which I wished I had stayed longer. Though it was a very short trip, I am very glad that a couple Rasa Malaysia readers and a good friend came to visit. It was great to be a culinary guide taking them to sample all the best street food (hawker food) in Penang.
This Kung Pao Shrimp (Kung Pao Prawn) post has been sitting in my “Draft” folder for a while. I made this before I left.
If you remember, I made Kung Pao Chicken a while back, and have always thought shrimp/prawn makes a great substitute for chicken. In fact, Kung Pao shrimp is very popular in Chinese restaurants in the US…(get Kung Pao Shrimp/Kung Pao Prawn recipe after the jump)
If you love Kung Pao as much as I do, you can pretty much Kung Pao anything you wish, for example: cuttlefish, squid, and my personal favorite, bull frogs! Yes, I know it sounds absolutely disgusting, but it’s undeniably delicious, and yes, they taste just like chicken, but a lot more tender. *wink*
Anyway, back to Kung Pao Shrimp or Kung Pao Prawn. I didn’t see this dish while in Sichuan but I did try an authentic Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken, which was spicy, numbing, and extremely flavorful. I will have to redo my Kung Pao recipe after tasting the real deal.
Anyway, this Kung Pao Shrimp recipe is still good and best suited for most people. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
12-15 big shrimps or prawns (peeled and deveined)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
10 mini dried red chilies (use half if your dried chilies are regular or longer size)
1/4 onion (quartered)
1/2 green bell pepper
3 stalks scallions (use only the white part)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
Kung Pao Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
1/2 teaspoon starch
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon black vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Method:
Mix the Kung Pao sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat up a wok and add the cooking oil until the oil is very hot. Add the chopped garlic and do a few quick stirs. Add onions, green peppers, and dried red chilies. Stir-fry until you smell the spicy aromas from the dried red chilies. Add in the prawns and roasted peanuts and keep stirring.
When the shrimps are half-cooked, add the Kung Pao sauce into the wok, keep stirring until the sauce thickens and the shrimps are cooked. Add the chopped scallions, do a quick stir, dish out and serve hot.
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Wonderful pictures… I want to taste your “kung pao shrimp”, it seems so delicious!
Dominique – yes, it was delicious, you should totally try.
This is fantastic! I’m sure this shrimp version tastes as awesome as the chicken…I will be trying this recipe as soon as I get some black vinegar (have been meaning to buy — love its taste) and kecap manis!
Joey – yes, I love black vinegar, it really opens up your appetite. ;)
I have made with chicken, I am sure going to make with shrimps too.
This one looks so so yumm.
It is my hubby’s b’day end of june and he as askes me to do a asian menu and am planning to do you yakitori balls and i think i will do this one too.
Great that you love my recipes and your husband loves them, too.
This looks fantastic! I love Kung Pao chicken, shrimp, and tofu. Can’t wait to try this.
I think Kung Pao tofu is such a great idea. Gotta try it.
This is a true classic and wonderful dish! The prawns look juicy!!
Prawns are always juicy. ;)
I made your crawfish recipe the other day and it was soooo good! Kung Pao looks pretty good.
Maya – great that you love the crawfish recipe! :)
I like Kung Pao! Great idea with prawns =D
Yes, prawns are great but you can try with squid and cuttlefish, too.
Looks fantastic, as always!
Thanks Ninette. :)
Mouth-watering, makes me want to dig in right now. But unfortunately, it’s just a pic. Id o agree that this recipe would also work using squid(I’ve tried it in a restaurant before), but being more of a shrimp fan, I think your use of prawns or shrimps here would really taste better.
Yes, kung pao squid is delicious. I like it, too. :)
Looks great! I love Kung Pao, but I thought it should have some sichuan peppers
Alex – I did it without sichuan peppers because in my honest opinion, they don’t go as well with seafood. :)
That shrimp kung pao looks so tasty!
I love your original chicken kung pao recipe and did it many times with prawns after reading your suggestion at the end of the original recipe. I’m now very intrigued by your authentic Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken experience and your plan to revise your recipe. Any head-ups on what to change to make it more authentic?
Keep up the great work!!!
I definitely want to make this at home, I’ve only had it in restaurants. Your photo is gorgeous.
And this is the third post with kecap manis I’ve seen today. It is on my shopping list!
LL
Lori Lynn – kecap manis is awesome! You should have a bottle in your pantry. :)
Tried this last night. It was superb. I had to add a little more cornstarch though to thicken. Fantastic recipe.
Great that you love my kung pao shrimp recipe. :)
One question though. The sauce for this is different than your recipe for Kun Pao Chicken. Is there a reason or can the shrimp in this recipe just be substituted by chicken?
You should follow my Kung Pao chicken recipe for chicken. The recipe is not the same because of the quantity of the chicken vs. shrimp, also, the presentation is slightly different. For example: no bell pepper and onions in the chicken version.
hi, i live in dubai, where unfortunately, i could not find sweet soy sauce for love or money! haha! can you suggest an alternative? i am desperate to try your kung pao prawns
Hi Che, you can just use regular dark soy sauce and add sugar to it.
Actually, for sweet soy sauce…I never knew Malaysians even had it! Personally I use Kicap ABC from Indonesia and it’s widely sold overseas too…have been able to get it in the UK, US and Australia so far…
Try asking your Asian shop in Dubai =)