Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp

Xiang La Xia (香辣虾)

Experience one of the best combinations of Sichuan flavors with this fragrant-spicy dish; fresh-caught Shrimp are stir-fried with Chilies, Garlic, Ginger, and Scallion.

Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp is obviously a fragrant-spicy (香辣) dish; the fragrant flavors come from Ginger, Garlic, and Scallion while the Dried Red Chilies provide the heat. What’s not so obvious is that Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp is actually a ‘Dry-Fried’ (干煸) dish. The Shrimp are flash-fried in plenty of Oil to remove excess water from the surface, to seal in juices, and to concentrate flavor. Then, the Shrimp are stir-fried with the fragrant-spicy ingredients making it ultra-flavorful.

For anyone who has had this dish in China, you may have noticed a striking difference between the pictured Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp and the Chinese version. The Shrimp in the following recipe are peeled. Traditionally the Shrimp for this dish are not peeled in Sichuan. Instead, the shells are fried with the Shrimp to become light and crispy. Some of the shell will be eaten along with the Shrimp, but most of it will be removed from one’s mouth and discarded. While the flavor, of course, is excellent, the shells are a nuisance. My solution was to combine the Sichuan ingredients and techniques with a common Cantonese method of Shrimp preparation which is a bit more appetizing for western cooks. However, a brief summary of the Traditional Sichuan Shrimp preparation is presented below.

Traditional Sichuan Shrimp Preparation:

• Cut off the front part of the face at a 45-degree angle using kitchen shears to remove the eyes, antennae, and mouth.
• Also cut off the legs using kitchen shears.
• Run a knife down the back of each Shrimp to butterfly them.
• Use a toothpick to remove the vein.
• Rinse the Shrimp thoroughly with running water.
• Finally dust the Shrimp lightly with Corn Starch.

Regardless of preparation method, it’s recommended to butterfly and devein the Shrimp. Sichuan chefs, unlike chefs in many provinces of China, do commonly devein their Shrimp. The unpleasant flavors from the vein can obviously mar the quality of the Shrimp. Also, the process of butterflying and deveining allows the Shrimp to become more flavorful. The shallow cut permits the delicious stir-frying Oil to penetrate deeper into the meat. This is especially vital when cooking the Shrimp shell-on instead of using the Cantonese method as the Shrimp will be more evenly seasoned. Purchasing shelled and deveined Shrimp can greatly reduce the time necessary for preparing this dish without noticeably sacrificing quality or flavor. Just remember that 500 grams of whole Shrimp equals roughly 200 – 250 grams of peeled, deveined Shrimp.

(Final Disclaimer: Cantonese cuisine will also commonly feature Shrimp cooked shell-on. This method of Shrimp preparation originated from Shumai 烧卖, which utilizes peeled, deveined Shrimp. However, the preparation method is perfect for Shrimp stir-fries as it creates excellent texture and flavor. Also, check out this street-food version called Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp Skewers 香辣串串虾).

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 55 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 grams large shell-on Shrimp OR 250 grams peeled Shrimp

1/2 tsp. Sodium Carbonate (This can be made easily by cooking Baking Soda in an oven for 1 hour at 150 Celsius OR replace this with a 1 tsp. Lye Water 碱水)

Marinade
1/2 tsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
1/2 tsp. Corn Starch
1/8 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Ground White Pepper

Aromatics
4 large cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger
2 white stalks of Small Scallion (小葱)

Garnishes
2 green stalks of Small Scallion (小葱)
1 tsp. Sesame Seeds

3 stalks of Chinese Celery

Chilies
1.5 cups of 1/2-inch pieces of Dried Red Chilies (About 25 grams)
1 Tbsp. Green Sichuan Peppercorns (About 5 grams)

Peanut Oil

Sauces and Seasonings
1 Tbsp. Fragrant-Spicy Chili Crisp (香辣油辣子)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/4 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/4 tsp. Ground White Pepper

Brightening Oil
1/2 tsp. Sichuan Pepper Oil

Directions

1.) Prepare the Shrimp:

• Peel, butterfly, and devein the Shrimp.
• Place the Shrimp into a large bowl and fill the bowl with water.
• Gently massage the Shrimp under water for about 1 minute.
• Drain the water and then refill the bowl with about 1.5 Liters of water.
• Add the Sodium Carbonate and allow the Shrimp to soak for 10 minutes.
• Drain the water, set the bowl of Shrimp under a tap, turn on the water, and allow the Shrimp to rinse for 3 minutes.
• Drain all of the water and then place the Shrimp onto a thick paper towel. Gently ring out any excess water.
• Place the Shrimp on a clean, dry kitchen towel, pat dry, and then place in a clean, dry bowl.

(The Shrimp preparation here is based in Cantonese cooking more so than in Sichuan cooking. To make this dish in a fully Sichuan manner, cut the Shrimp as discussed within the flavor text and leave the shells on. The Cantonese method here will give the Shrimp an excellent flavor and texture when stir-fried).

2.) Add all of the Marinade ingredients (Rice Wine, Corn Starch, Salt, and White Pepper) to the Shrimp and mix everything thoroughly. Allow the Shrimp to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing them into the same bowl:

• Peel and slice the Ginger.
• Peel and slice the Garlic.
• Finely slice the white stalks of Small Scallion and set aside the green stalks for the Garnish.

4.) Slice the green stalks of Small Scallion into 1/4-inch pieces and set them aside in a bowl along with the Sesame Seeds to be used for the Garnish.

5.) Cut the Celery into 2-inch-long pieces and place them in their own bowl.

6.) Snip the Dried Red Chilies into 1/2-inch pieces and set them aside along with the Sichuan Peppercorns in a bowl for Chilies.

7.) Fill a seasoned wok 1/3 full with Peanut Oil and heat on medium-high until hot but not quite smoking. Add the Shrimp and flash-fry for about 30 seconds just until barely cooked and the surface is dry. Pour the Shrimp and Oil into a wire strainer set over a large pot to quickly separate the Shrimp and Oil.

(If cooking the Shrimp shells-on using the traditional Sichuan method, fry the Shrimp slightly longer at around 1 to 2 minutes until the shells have become light and crispy).

8.) Add 1/4 cup of the hot Oil back to the wok and heat on medium-high heat. When hot, pull the wok away from heat, add the Aromatics, and stir-fry them just a few seconds until fragrant.

9.) Add the bowl of Chilies and Celery and stir-fry them just a few seconds until excess moisture from the Celery has evaporated.

10.) Mix in the Sauces and Seasonings (Chili Crisp, Salt, Sugar, MSG, Chicken Bouillon, and White Pepper) directly into the Oil and then immediately add the Shrimp. Toss everything together until the Shrimp is coated in the fragrant-spicy oil.

11.) Add about 2/3 of the Garnishes along with a splash of Brightening Oil (Sichuan Pepper Oil) and toss everything together a few more times just until mixed.

12.) Pour the contents of the wok on to a serving plate and add the remaining Garnishes. Serve the incredible Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp immediately along with individual bowls of white rice.

 

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