Hunan shrimp is a classic Chinese-American stir fry that is great for the weekday dinner rotation. It features tender cooked shrimp along with a mixture of crisp vegetables. All of which are coated in a savory & spicy black bean sauce.
What is Hunan Shrimp?
Hunan shrimp is a popular dish that can be found in most Chinese-American restaurants throughout North America. And while the version of this particular dish is in no way authentically Chinese it does have some origins in China.
You see, the name is a loose homage to the type of cuisine found in Hunan province. Which if you were unaware is one of the eight traditional regional cuisines of China. And what often sets Hunan dishes apart from the other regions is their liberal use of chili peppers, garlic, and oil.
So what makes the American version of this dish different?
Well, two things.
The first has to do with changes to the “Hunan” sauce. Not only does the American version significantly tone down the amount of oil used. But it often features the addition of fermented black soybeans, or more commonly black bean garlic sauce. And these modifications give the sauce a much more viscous texture and a flavor that is more salty and savory instead of purely spicy.
The second change to the American version is simply the addition of vegetables to the stir fry. You see in traditional Chinese cuisine meat and vegetable stir fries are often prepared as separate dishes. But in Chinese-American cuisine, we like to cook them all together to make an entire meal in one dish. And the Chinese-American version of Hunan shrimp is no different in this regard.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Can you use something besides shrimp? Of course, you can easily swap out the shrimp with either beef, chicken, or pork if that’s what you prefer. To do it simply slice whichever meat you choose into thin strips. And partially cook it just like you would for the shrimp during step 2. But keep in mind you will most likely need to partially cook those types of meat a bit longer than you would for shrimp (so roughly 2 to 3 minutes).
- Similarly, you can omit/swap out any of the vegetables needed for this stir fry if you don’t like them or can’t find them at your local grocery store.
- PREP WORK, PREP WORK, PREP WORK!: Stir fry dishes come together quickly which is why it’s important to do all your prep work before you start. So have those veggies chopped, the shrimp peeled, and the sauce mixed together before you even think about turning on your stove.
- A quick note on corn starch slurry: Corn starch slurry is used to thicken up the sauce at the end of cooking. And it has a tendency to separate if left to sit for a couple of minutes. So make sure that you give it a quick stir to reincorporate the corn starch and water prior to adding it to the stir fry.
Other Stir Frys You Might Enjoy
Hunan Shrimp Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4
Ingredients
12oz of medium to large sized shrimp, peeled & deveined
3 Tablespoons of neutral flavored oil
2 Teaspoons of minced ginger
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch sized pieces
1 Small zucchini, cut into thin half moons
1 Jicama, peeled & julienned
1 Cup of snow peas, string removed and cut in half
3 to 4 Green onions, chopped
¼ to ½ Cup of cilantro, with most of the stems cut off
For sauce:
1½ cups of low sodium stock (either chicken, shrimp, or vegetable will work)
1 Tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce, like Lee Kum Kee brand
1 Tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 Tablespoon of Shaoxing wine (can also sub with dry sherry or sake)
1 Teaspoon of dark soy sauce (optional, primarily for adding color to the sauce)
½ to 2 Teaspoons of hot chili oil (depends on spice tolerance ½ for mild, 1 for medium, 2 for hot)
½ Teaspoon of sugar
½ Teaspoon of sesame oil
For corn starch slurry:
1 Tablespoon of corn starch
1 Tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Stir the ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl or cup until thoroughly combined. Do the same for the corn starch slurry in a separate small bowl. Set both of these aside until later.
- Partially cook the shrimp: Add 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil to either a large wok or walled pan. Place this over high heat so that the oil begins to smoke. Toss in the shrimp and stir fry them for roughly a minute or until they just start to turn pink.
Then quickly remove them from the wok/pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Stir fry the hard vegetables: Add another 2 tablespoons of neutral flavored oil to your wok/pan and let it heat up until smoking. Next toss in the minced ginger and stir fry it for 20 to 30 seconds, making sure that you don’t burn them. Then add the bell pepper, zucchini, and jicama to your wok/pan and stir fry these ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes or until they have become slightly softened.
- Finish the dish: Add the snow peas into the wok/pan along with the prepared sauce that you made earlier.
Stir everything together and let the sauce come to a boil. Then add the partially cooked shrimp along with the green onions, and continue to stir fry everything for another minute. Finally pour in roughly half of the corn scratch slurry and stir to combine with the sauce. If you prefer your sauce to be thicker then add the rest of the corn starch slurry and stir to combine.
- Quickly transfer the Hunan shrimp to a large plate, garnish with the chopped cilantro, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Hunan Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz of medium to large sized shrimp peeled & deveined
- 3 Tablespoons of neutral flavored oil
- 2 Teaspoons of minced ginger
- 1 Red bell pepper cut into 1-inch sized pieces
- 1 Small zucchini cut into thin half moons
- 1 Jicama peeled & julienned
- 1 Cup of snow peas string removed and cut in half
- 3 to 4 Green onions chopped
- ¼ to ½ Cup of cilantro with most of the stems cut off
For sauce:
- 1½ cups of low sodium stock either chicken, shrimp, or vegetable will work
- 1 Tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce like Lee Kum Kee brand
- 1 Tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon of Shaoxing wine can also sub with dry sherry or sake
- 1 Teaspoon of dark soy sauce optional, primarily for adding color to the sauce
- ½ to 2 Teaspoons of hot chili oil depends on spice tolerance ½ for mild, 1 for medium, 2 for hot
- ½ Teaspoon of sugar
- ½ Teaspoon of sesame oil
For corn starch slurry:
- 1 Tablespoon of corn starch
- 1 Tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Stir the ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl or cup until thoroughly combined. Do the same for the corn starch slurry in a separate small bowl. Set both of these aside until later.
- Partially cook the shrimp: Add 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil to either a large wok or walled pan. Place this over high heat so that the oil begins to smoke. Toss in the shrimp and stir fry them for roughly a minute or until they just start to turn pink. Then quickly remove them from the wok/pan and set them aside on a plate.
- Stir fry the hard vegetables: Add another 2 tablespoons of neutral flavored oil to your wok/pan and let it heat up until smoking. Next toss in the minced ginger and stir fry it for 20 to 30 seconds, making sure that you don’t burn them. Then add the bell pepper, zucchini, and jicama to your wok/pan and stir fry these ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes or until they have become slightly softened.
- Finish the dish: Add the snow peas into the wok/pan along with the prepared sauce that you made earlier. Stir everything together and let the sauce come to a boil. Then add the partially cooked shrimp along with the green onions, and continue to stir fry everything for another minute. Finally pour in roughly half of the corn scratch slurry and stir to combine with the sauce. If you prefer your sauce to be thicker then add the rest of the corn starch slurry and stir to combine.
- Quickly transfer the Hunan shrimp to a large plate, garnish with the chopped cilantro, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
