This well-known American Chinese dish most often appears on takeout menus, but it's possible to cook kung pao shrimp at home. Our recipe features tender shrimp in a fiery sweet and sour sauce.
Kung Pao Shrimp
Updated Jul. 22, 2024
No Chinese takeout menu would be complete without a section dedicated to kung pao dishes. These Sichuanese recipes are traditionally made with cubed chicken and spiked with lots of red chiles and fiery Chinese peppercorns. There are an endless number of variations available in the United States, including kung pao shrimp.
This recipe features more vegetables than most other variations, which makes the dish a tasty and hearty lunch or dinner.
What is kung pao shrimp?
This kung pao dish stars large shrimp marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and cornstarch. The marinade infuses the seafood with a bounty of flavor and keeps it moist during the quick cooking process. The shrimp are paired with a rainbow of vegetables and the entire stir-fry is punched up with a heavy dose of garlic, ginger and chiles.
Kung Pao Shrimp Ingredients
Shrimp: Use any size shrimp for this recipe, but we prefer the large ones (31 to 35 count per pound), which gives the stir-fry a touch of fanciness.
Shaoxing wine: Rice wine, which has sweet and briny notes, brings complex flavor to the stir-fry sauce.
Dried Tien Tsin chiles: Tien Tsin chiles, a popular ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, are available at Asian grocery stores, specialty spice shops and online. They add a nice kick to dishes, including stir-fries. If you can’t find Tien Tsin chiles, though, any variety of dried red chiles will do.
Peanuts: Toasted nuts bring texture and crunch to the dish.
Directions
Step 1: Marinade the shrimp
In a medium bowl, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, corn starch and sugar. Stir in the shrimp and set aside for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Make the sauce
In a small bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar and black pepper. Set aside.
Step 3: Fry the peanuts
In a large wok over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of oil until it shimmers. Add the peanuts and stir them continuously until the nuts are fragrant and become a slightly darker shade of brown, about three to four minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peanuts from the wok and put them in a small bowl to cool.
Editor’s Tip: The stir-frying process moves very quickly, so have all of your ingredients prepped and placed near your stovetop.
Step 4: Sear the shrimp
Remove the shrimp from the marinade and pat them dry on a plate. Add them to the oil and cook for about one minute, gently flipping the shrimp halfway through. They should be seared and slightly pink but not fully cooked. Remove the shrimp from the wok using kitchen tongs and set aside in a medium bowl or on a plate.
Discard the leftover marinade.
Step 5: Fry the chiles
Lower the heat to medium, add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and wait until it shimmers. Add between one and four halved chiles to create the heat level you prefer:
- 1 chile: mildly spicy kung pao shrimp
- 4 chiles: fiery kung pao stir-fry
I use two chiles for a medium heat level.
Step 5: Add the garlic and ginger
Once the chiles have been on the heat for about 30 seconds, mix in the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, 30 seconds to one minute.
Step 6: Cook the veggies
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the carrots and celery to the wok. Stir-fry for about two minutes. Then add the onions and bell peppers and stir-fry everything for another two minutes.
Step 7: Incorporate the sauce
Stir the sauce into the vegetables and cook everything for another two to three minutes until the carrots, celery, onions and bell peppers are tender yet still slightly crisp. The sauce should thicken pretty quickly.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t turn away from the stovetop! Stir your wok continuously to avoid burning the vegetables at the bottom.
Step 8: Finish your kung pao shrimp
Add the shrimp back to the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds to one minute until the shrimp is pink. If your sauce is too watery, make a slurry with one teaspoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of water, mix it into your kung pao shrimp and simmer everything until the sauce thickens. Stir in the peanuts and remove the wok from the heat.
Serve kung pao shrimp with fluffy white rice.
Recipe Variations
- Use a different cooking wine: If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, sherry, sake or mirin are all easy substitutes that add similar flavors to the dish.
- Swap out the shrimp: Instead of incorporating shrimp, use a pound of diced or sliced poultry to make kung pao chicken instead. Increase your cooking time and stir-fry the chicken until it’s no longer pink.
- Mix up the vegetables: Not a fan of carrots, celery, onions or bell pepper? No problem! Use four cups of any combination of diced vegetables in your kung pao shrimp. Some tried-and-true options include baby corn, zucchini and squash.
How to Store Kung Pao Shrimp
Leftover kung pao shrimp makes for delicious leftovers for up to three days. Store the dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Kung Pao Shrimp Tips
What do you serve with kung pao shrimp?
Since kung pao shrimp has a lot of flavors and textures, the dish is best served with neutral grains, such as jasmine rice or brown rice. It’s also an awesome addition to a spread of Chinese dishes, such as egg rolls and sweet and sour pork.
How do you make kung pao shrimp more or less spicy?
The heat level of kung pao shrimp is very customizable. Feel free to omit the chiles entirely, which will make the dish spice-free; add one or two for a mild heat level; or incorporate four or more chiles for a tongue-tingling experience.
Can you make kung pao shrimp without a wok?
Absolutely. You can easily make this dish in any large skillet or a Dutch oven.
Watch How to Make Kung Pao Shrimp
Kung Pao Shrimp
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
20 min
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable or peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Dash pepper
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
- SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 4-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- STIR-FRY:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, divided
- 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
- 2 to 4 dried Tien Tsin chiles or other dried red chiles, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
- 2 small carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
- 1 tablespoon water, optional
- Hot cooked rice
Directions
- In a large bowl, whisk Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper. Stir in shrimp. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small bowl, combine Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Set aside
- In large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add peanuts; cook and stir until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove peanuts to a small bowl.
- Drain and discard marinade from shrimp. Pat shrimp dry. In the same skillet or wok over medium-high heat, cook shrimp until shrimp just starts to turn pink, 1-2 minutes, turning once. Remove shrimp to a bowl.
- In the same skillet or wok, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over low heat. Add chiles; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add garlic and ginger. Cook and stir 30 seconds longer. Increase heat to medium-high. Add carrots and celery, cook and stir 2 minutes. Add onion and sweet red pepper; cook and stir until vegetables are crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add the sauce and shrimp. Cook and stir until shrimp turn pink and sauce is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. If desired, to make sauce thicker, whisk cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve with rice.
Nutrition Facts
1 serving: 389 calories, 20g fat (3g saturated fat), 138mg cholesterol, 842mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (14g sugars, 4g fiber), 25g protein.
