Szechuan Prawns
Szechuan Prawns are one of my all-time favorite takeout dishes, and I promise you this recipe is one of the best! The sauce is savory, spicy, and so addictive. They're ready in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon doubanjiang (chili bean sauce) (or chili oil with flakes)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 pound prawns (size 16-20, peeled and deveined)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 ½ tablespoons of water)
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok over low heat. Add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add doubanjiang and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until the oil is red and smells delicious.
- Add ketchup, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, and soy sauce. Increase the heat from low to medium and fry for 1 to 2 minutes to develop a rich color and flavor.
- Stir in chicken stock and sugar, then turn the heat to high and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Add the prawns and gently stir and flip them until they turn pink on both sides. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Deep-Fried Variation: Some restaurants deep-fry the prawns before cooking them in the sauce. This adds another layer of richness and also helps the sauce cling to each shrimp better.
To deep-fry the shrimp, first toss them with 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon of rice cooking wine (or water), and ½ a teaspoon of salt. Then, place 1 cup of cornstarch in a bowl and individually coat each shrimp in the cornstarch. Deep-fry in hot oil at 350°F for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Then, proceed with making the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 17gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 953mgPotassium: 212mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Did you make this?Let me know how it was!