Kung Pao Shrimp is a sweet, spicy, and authentic Chinese dish that has its origin in Szechuan Cuisine. It is a modified version of classical Kung Pao Chicken in which the fried shrimp is tossed in silky smooth Kung Pao Sauce. The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make Kung Pao Shrimp with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try and enjoy at home.
I have also shared the video of this recipe to show the cooking process visually and clearly. This homemade Kung Pao Shrimp is a flavor-packed seafood dish that tastes great over rice dishes such as white rice, basmati rice, brown rice or noodles for lunch and dinner.
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What is Kung Pao Shrimp?
Kung Pao Shrimp is a sweet, spicy, and authentic Chinese stir-fry dish from Szechuan cuisine. It is usually made with large shrimp, Sichuan peppercorns, kung pao sauce, veggies, and a lot of peanuts. It is a variation of authentic Kung Pao Chicken and it is usually served with rice, noodles, or fried rice.
The traditional Kung Pao Shrimp has a unique citrusy and tongue-tingling numbing effect along with heat from the red chilies. And the numbing effect is from the Sichuan peppercorns which are one of the basic ingredients of Szechuan cuisine.
Even though the ingredient list is pretty long this traditional dish is worth trying at home. It takes only under 30 minutes to make the entire dish if you prepare ahead of the ingredients. And it makes a delightful dinner or lunch for your weekday or weekend.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will require to make this Kung Pao Shrimp are mostly Asian pantry basics. And they should be easily available in most Asian or Chinese grocery stores. So let's see what are they below.
For the Sauce
Following are the ingredients you will need to make the sauce.
- Dark Soy Sauce - Helps to achieve a dark color to your dish
- Light Soy Sauce - To achieve the rich flavor profile to your dish. It is one of the basic seasoning sauces of Chinese recipes
- Shaoxing Wine (Chinese Cooking Wine) - It gives the authentic in depth flavor and taste to your food
- Sriracha Sauce - Delivers good amount of heat
- White or Chinese Black Vinegar - Adds acidity and sweetness to your poultry, seafood or meat
- Brown Sugar - To balance the heat
This sauce delivers a bold and in-depth flavor to your dish similar to other Chinese sauces like Szechuan Sauce and General Tso's Sauce.
For Kung Pao Shrimp
Following are the ingredients you will need to make the Kung Pao Shrimp.
- Shrimp - Jumbo or large shrimps works great for this recipe and I have used large shrimps that have already been cleaned and deveined. You can use both fresh or frozen shrimps but make sure to bring the frozen one to room temperature before using it in your recipe
- Ginger and Garlic - Gives a fresh aroma to the food
- Sesame Oil - Authentic Chinese recipes are usually stir-fried with sesame oil. And it delivers the earthy and strong flavor to the dishes
- Onion - Delivers the sweet and mild spiciness
- Cornstarch - I have used it to marinate the shrimp as well as to thicken the sauce
- Seasoning Powders - White Pepper Powder, and Garlic Powder for marinating the shrimp
- Bell Peppers - I have used red and yellow color bell pepper, and you can also feel free to use your favorite veggies. It gives a vibrant color to your dish
- Dry Red Chilies - Szechuan recipes are typically spicy and loaded with heat and it comes from the dry red chilies. You can also remove the seeds if you prefer to decrease the heat
- Scallions - Use the white part of the scallions as aromatics and the top part for garnishing
- Sichuan Peppercorns - Delivers the citrusy and tongue-tingling numbing effect. And it is one of the signature ingredients of Szechuan cuisine. You can also use white pepper powder if Sichuan peppers are not handy
- Peanuts - The authentic recipe is finally topped with toasted peanuts which delivers a crispy and crunchiness to the dish
How to make Kung Pao Shrimp?
The recipe I have shared here is the authentic Kung Pao Shrimp that delivers the best taste and flavor similar to your favorite Chinese restaurants. The process of making stir fry dishes has to be done quickly, so I recommend preparing the ingredients ahead. And the sauce and Sichuan peppercorns play an important role in making this dish unique from other dishes. And I suggest you not compromise on it if they are available to you.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this dish but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photos and video please check out the recipe card below.
- Marinate Shrimp - In a glass bowl, add cleaned and deveined shrimp, garlic powder, white pepper powder, salt, and corn starch. Mix well until all the seasoning coats the shrimp. Here I have to rest the shrimp for 5 minutes but you can also fry them immediately
- Prepare Sauce - In a bowl, add dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chili sauce, and brown sugar, and mix well. Reserve this sauce for later use
- Fry the Shrimp - In a pan with medium heat, pour oil, and add the marinated shrimp. Fry them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Make sure not to over-fry them as it turns hard and rubbery. And reserve it for later use
- Saute the Aromatics -In a wok with high heat, pour the sesame oil and add the garlic, ginger, Thai red chilies, dry red chilies, and scallions. Saute everything until they turn aromatic
- Soften the Onions - Add the onions and saute until it turns soft. Then add the 1 tsp of crushed Sichuan peppercorns and give a nice stir. The Sichuan peppercorns are usually strong in flavor feel free to reduce to ½ tsp if the quantity is too strong for your taste buds. You can also replace the Sichuan peppers with white pepper powder if that's not handy for you
- Stir Fry the Veggies -Add the bell peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes
- Add the Sauce - Mix the reserved Sauce that we prepared earlier and give a good mix. Allow the sauce to boil for about 1 to 2 minutes
- Thicken the Sauce - Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and give a good mix. Adding cornstarch helps to thicken the sauce
- Add the Shrimp - Once the sauce is thick, add the fried shrimp and give a good stir
- Garnish with Peanuts - Finally add roasted peanuts, and scallions and give a nice stir
- Serve - Serve this authentic Kung Pao Shrimp over white rice, brown rice, Schezwan fried rice, egg fried rice, noodles, or other rice dishes of your choice
Tips
- Kung Pao Sauce - The sauce plays a key factor in delivering the in-depth bold flavor to the dish, so I would recommend not compromising on it
- Velveting the Shrimp - Marinating the shrimp with cornstarch gives a velvety finish to your shrimp and also helps the shrimp to stay moist and juicy after it is fried
- Prepare Ahead of the Ingredients - I would always suggest you prepare ahead of the ingredients as Chinese stir-frying happens quickly
- Temperature - Always stir fry the veggies and other ingredients on high heat to achieve the traditional taste and flavor of Chinese stir-frying recipes
- Good Quality Wok - Good quality iron woks deliver an earthy and hearty flavor to your dish that is similar to most Chinese restaurant-style dishes. You can also use a good quality iron skillet
- Peanuts and Sichuan Pepper - Even though the traditional recipe calls for Sichuan peppercorns and roasted peanuts. You can also substitute the Sichuan peppercorns with white pepper powder and peanuts with fried cashew nuts
Calories
This Kung Pao Shrimp that I have shared here contains 396 calories per serving and it is an estimate by the nutrition calculator. The calorie count may change if you change or alter any of the ingredients. You could also find the detailed nutrition information in the recipe card below.
Storage Suggestions
This dish stays good for up to a day in the refrigerator in a closed airtight container. To enjoy its hot and spicy flavor, I would always suggest you enjoy it immediately once the dish is out from the wok.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this delicious Kung Pao Shrimp over rice dishes such as white rice, basmati rice, brown rice. And for a lip-smacking Chinese platter, we usually enjoy it with Schezwan fried rice, egg fried rice, or noodles.
Related Recipes
You could also find similar recipes below and more at Chinese Recipes and Asian Recipes.
- Szechuan Shrimp
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Szechuan Chicken
- General Tso's Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- General Tso's Tofu
- Vegetable Stir Fry
More Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Scampi
- Fried Shrimp
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Indian Shrimp Fry
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp Alfredo
Kung Pao Shrimp Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Kung Pao Shrimp Recipe below that I hope will help you make an authentic Chinese dish at home. And you could also find this recipe in a story format.
📖 Recipe
Kung Pao Shrimp
Ingredients
For Sauce
- 3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
- 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Chili Sauce
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
For Kung Pao Shrimp
- 2 lb Shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt, as needed
- 1 tbsp Ginger, julienned
- 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 7 Thai red chili, optional
- 15 Red Chili, dry, halved
- ½ cup Onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Szechuan Peppercorn, crushed (use ½ tsp if it is too strong for your taste buds)
- ¼ cup Red Bell Pepper
- ¼ cup Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 tsp Cornstarch, for thickening the sauce
- ¼ tsp Pepper Powder, white
- 2 bunch Scallion, both white and green part
- 2 tbsp Peanuts, roasted
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch, for marination
Instructions
To Marinate Shrimp
- In a glass bowl, add cleaned and deveined shrimp, garlic powder, white pepper powder, salt, and 1 tbsp of cornstarch
- Mix well until all the seasoning coats on the shrimp. Reserve it for later use. Here I have rest the shrimp for 5 minutes but you can also fry them immediately
To Make Sauce
- In a bowl, add dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chili sauce, and brown sugar, and mix well. Reserve this sauce for later use
To Fry the Shrimp
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add the marinated shrimp. Fry them for 2 to 3 minutes
- Flip and fry the shrimps for another 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure not to over fry them as it turns hard and rubbery
- Remove and reserve the fried shrimp for later use
To Make Kung Pao Shrimp
- In a wok with high heat, pour the sesame oil and add the garlic, ginger, Thai red chilies, dry red chilies, and scallions(white part). Saute everything until they turn aromatic
- Add the onions and saute until it turns soft. Then add the crushed Sichuan peppercorns and give a nice stir. The Sichuan peppercorns are usually strong in flavor feel free to reduce to ½ tsp if the quantity is too strong for your taste buds
- Add the bell peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes
- Mix the reserved Kung Pao Sauce that we have prepared earlier and give a good mix. Allow the sauce to boil for about 1 to 2 minutes
- Add 1 tbsp of cornstarch and give a good mix. Adding cornstarch helps to thicken the sauce. I have used cornstarch directly and you can also use cornstarch slurry
- Once the sauce is thick, add the fried shrimp and give a good stir
- Finally add roasted peanut, and scallions(green part) and give a nice stir. Now the delicious Kung Pao Shrimp is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this authentic Kung Pao Shrimp over white rice, brown rice, Schezwan fried rice, egg fried rice, noodles, or other rice dishes of your choice
Video
Notes
- Kung Pao Sauce - The sauce plays a key factor in delivering the in-depth bold flavor to the dish, so I would recommend not compromising on it
- Velveting the Shrimp - Marinating the shrimp with cornstarch gives a velvety finish to your shrimp and also helps the shrimp to stay moist and juicy after it is fried
- Prepare Ahead of the Ingredients - I would always suggest you prepare ahead of the ingredients as Chinese stir-frying happens quickly
- Temperature - Always stir fry the veggies and other ingredients on high heat to achieve the traditional taste and flavor of Chinese stir-frying recipes
- Good Quality Wok - Good quality iron woks deliver the earthy and hearty flavor to your dish that is similar to most Chinese restaurant-style dishes
- Peanuts and Sichuan Pepper - Even though the traditional recipe calls for Sichuan peppercorns and roasted peanuts. You can also substitute them with white pepper powder and fried cashew nuts
Nutrition
FAQ
Kung Pao Shrimp is a sweet, spicy, and authentic Chinese stir-fry dish from Szechuan cuisine. It is usually made with large shrimp, Sichuan peppercorns, kung pao sauce, veggies, and a lot of peanuts. It is a variation of authentic Kung Pao Chicken and it is usually served with rice, noodles, or fried rice.
This dish is prepared with sauces that are rich in sodium content which does not fall under the healthy category and so is the dish. But you can enjoy it in moderation for a healthy life.
Both are popular Chinese recipes and the Kung Pao comes from Szechuan cuisine and the Hunan Shrimp from the Hunan cuisine. Even though both the cuisine recipes tend to be hot and spicy, the Szechuan cuisine is significant for its spicy and numbing effect. And the Hunan cuisine is known for its dry, spicy, and super hot dishes.
This dish contains 396 calories per serving and it is an estimate by the nutrition calculator. The calorie count may change if you change or alter any of the ingredients. You could also find the detailed nutrition information in the recipe card below.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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