Skip the take-out and make this quick and easy Hunan Shrimp instead! Made with stir-fried shrimp, crisp-tender veggies, and a tangy, slightly spicy sauce, this recipe delivers a better tasting, better-for-you version of Hunan Shrimp in under 20 minutes!
If you have been a fan of my recipes for Hunan Beef and Hunan Chicken, let me encourage you to add one more easy copycat version of Chinese take-out to your dinner repertoire–Hunan Shrimp. Swapping out the chicken and beef for fast-cooking shrimp makes this recipe that much faster to prepare and every bit as delicious!
Kristen’s Recipe Run-Down
- Not authentic, but incredibly delicious! Authentic Chinese Hunan dishes feature a sauce made with a variety of fresh chiles, dried chiles, and fermented black beans. This Americanized version delivers the same spicy, savory, tangy flavors, but uses ingredients you can find at any grocery store.
- The spice level is adjustable. By making Hunan Shrimp at home, you get to be in charge of how spicy this dish is by adjusting the amount of chili paste used in the sauce. But keep in mind, Hunan Shrimp is meant to be a bit spicy. So if you are sensitive to spice, you may prefer my sweet and savory shrimp stir-fry instead.
- Hunan shrimp is best served over rice. A bed of fluffy rice (like Instant Pot Jasmine rice or Instant Pot brown rice) or cauliflower rice soaks up the hunan sauce and helps to bulk up the dish, feeding more mouths and keeping cost per serving lower.
- Make what you will eat. I often suggest doubling a recipe to keep on hand for lunch later in the week or to freeze for a future quick dinner. For Hunan shrimp, and most recipes featuring shrimp, this is not recommended. Shrimp can become rubbery when reheated, so it best to enjoy immediately after preparation.
Helpful Notes on Ingredients
You will find the exact quantities in the recipe card, but I want to provide a few notes to help you select the best ingredients and/or make substitutions if needed.
- Shrimp: While this recipe calls for medium shrimp, any size of deveined, defrosted shrimp will work. Large shrimp will need a minute or two longer to cook and small shrimp will need a minute or two less. Bottom line: use what you have!
- Hunan Sauce: Using easy to find ingredients, the stars in this sauce are soy sauce, chili paste, rice vinegar, and oyster sauce. I add a bit of honey (or brown sugar) to balance the sauce and chicken stock to thin.
- Oyster Sauce: Keep in mind that some brands of oyster sauce contain MSG. If you need/want to avoid MSG, Kikkoman Oyster Sauce is made without added MSG. No oyster sauce? Hoisin will work, but a bit on the sweeter side.
- Soy sauce: Use low-sodium to control the overall sodium in the dish. For a gluten-free option, use coconut aminos or Tamari.
- Chili Paste: Be sure to use chili paste, like sambal oelek, not chili sauce. Adjust up/down based on personal preference.
- Vinegar: Rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar can be used interchangeably.
- Cornstarch: Used to help thicken the sauce and crisp up the shrimp. Feel free to use arrowroot powder in its place.
- Vegetables: While fresh green beans and mild green onions pair well with the spicy, tangy Hunan sauce, you can opt to use any quick-cooking veggies you like or omit the vegetables altogether. Other great options include fresh broccoli florets, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
- Oil: When making stir-fries of any kind, it is best to use an oil with high smoking point, such as refined avocado oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil.
How to Make Hunan Shrimp
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. The detailed instructions and quantities needed are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Hunan Sauce. Because this is a quick cooking dish, it is best to whisk together the ingredients for the Hunan sauce and set to the side BEFORE beginning to cook the shrimp and vegetables.
- Prepare Shrimp. In order for the shrimp to form an irresistible crispy exterior, it is best to coat the shrimp in cornstarch. Be sure to first pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel–that will ensure the cornstarch adheres to the shrimp rather.
- Stir Fry Shrimp. Pan-fry the shrimp in a bit of heated oil until opaque, then remove it to a plate. It will just take a couple of minutes.
- Stir-Fry Veggies. To the same skillet, add in the green beans or vegetables of choice and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Wait to add green onions (or other delicate vegetables) until when you add the sauce, as they won’t need long to cook.
- Combine and Thicken. Add the shrimp and green onions to the skillet. Give the sauce a whisk to combine and then pour that to the skillet as well. Cook until the Hunan sauce has thickened and is coating the shrimp and veggies. It won’t take but a minute or two.
More Easy Stir-Fry Recipes
If you tried this easy recipe for Hunan Shrimp, I would appreciate it if you took the time to leave a comment and review below.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prepare the Hunan Sauce by whisking together ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons chili pasteand 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Set aside.
Pat 1 pound medium shrimp dry with a paper towel and then place them in a mixing bowl or storage bag. Add in ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and toss to evenly coat the shrimp with the cornstarch mixture.
Heat 1 tablespoon refined avocado oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, tossing frequently to evenly cook. Once the shrimp is opaque, remove it from the pan and set aside.
If the skillet is dry, add 1 teaspoon of additional oil and heat. Once heated, add 2 cups fresh green beansto the pan and cook, stirring often until lightly browned and just crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the shrimp and ¼ cup green onions, slicedinto the skillet. Give the reserved Hunan sauce a quick mix again to be sure fully incorporated, and then pour the sauce over the shrimp and green beans. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Serve over rice with additional minced green onions, or as desired.
No oyster sauce? Hoisin will work, but a bit on the sweeter side.
Chicken Stock: Feel free to use seafood stock or vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock to thin the sauce.
Gluten-Free Modification: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos or Tamari and check to ensure your stock and Oyster sauce are gluten-free as well.
Storage: Hunan shrimp is best served immediately after preparation. That said, if you have leftovers, let cool and store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat to gently warm.
Calories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 18gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1491mgPotassium: 317mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 595IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
amindfullmom.com (Article Sourced Website)
#Hunan #Shrimp #Recipe #Takeout