Fragrant-Spicy Shrimp Skewers

Xiang La Chuan Chuan Xia (香辣串串虾)

Skewers of crispy breaded shrimp are coated in a fragrant spicy chili oil and served under a blanket of greens and reds from chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, scallion, and cilantro.

Fragrant Spicy Shrimp Skewers are a Crispy-Fried (干煸) Dish, in which all moisture from the surface of the ingredient is evaporated before it’s seasoned. Traditionally this is done not by breading the Shrimps, but by frying them with the shells on. The double frying process used in the following recipe would render the shells crispy, airy, and somewhat edible – though you would still have to pull out little bits of shell while eating. Breading the Shrimp allows you to achieve the same desired crispy crunch without the nuisance of the shells.

The following dish is heavily based on street food from Jianghu District of Chongqing. If you look at street food from Sichuan and Chongqing, you’ll notice many of the dishes are served on skewers. Skewers are the perfect food delivery system for walking and eating – no chopsticks necessary. While skewers are completely unnecessary for serving at home, there’s just something about skewers that make the dish feel more special. This dish could easily be converted to a main course by not using skewers; instead, adding and briefly stir-frying the fried Shrimp with Chilies and Aromatics. This dish would then be simply called Crispy-Fried Shrimp (干煸虾) or if using smaller bits, Spicy Chili Shrimp (辣子虾).

For the following recipe, I start with whole Shrimp. I then have to shell, devein, and clean the Shrimp thoroughly, which can be quite time-consuming. If, like me, you’re not a pro at shelling Shrimp, you can purchase peeled, deveined Shrimp at grocery stores in most western countries. The majority of all Shrimp is flash-frozen even if it appears to be fresh from the seafood counter. The peeled, deveined Shrimp from the freezer section will be virtually the same as that from the seafood counter. If you need to shell and devein the Shrimp yourself, I recommend doing so with a friend to greatly reduce the time.

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time: 15 min.

Total Time: 35 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 g. Large Shrimp (About 20)

Marinade
1 – 2 tsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. White Pepper
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

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

Aromatics
3 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger
1 white stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)

Garnishes
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1 small bunch of Cilantro
1 tsp. Sesame Seeds

2 – 4 cups of Corn Starch (Enough for Breading)

Peanut Oil (Enough for Deep-Frying)

Seasonings
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. White Pepper

Directions

1.) Peel and devein the Shrimp. Place them in a bowl and fill the bowl with water. Gently massage and wash the Shrimp. Drain the water, squeeze all water from the Shrimp, and place the Shrimp in a dry bowl.

2.) Add the Marinade ingredients (Rice Wine, Salt, White Pepper, Egg, and Corn Starch) in the order listed and mix by hand until the Shrimp are thoroughly coated. Allow them to rest for about 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Prepare Chilies, placing them all in the same bowl:

• Snip the Dried Red Chilies into 1-inch pieces and remove most of the seeds. Place them in the bowl.
• Add the Sichuan Peppercorns to the bowl.
• Pour the White Liquor over the Chilies and Peppercorns. Mix them thoroughly.

(The White Liquor will help to prevent the Chilies and Peppercorns from burning. It also helps to preserve the bright red color of the Chilies as well as the sizzling sensation of the Green Sichuan Peppercorns).

4.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing them all in the same bowl:

• Peel, smash, and roughly mince the Garlic.
• Peel, smash, and roughly mince the Ginger.
• Cut the white stalk of Scallion into 1/4-inch pieces.

5.) Finely slice the green stalk of Scallion, roughly chop the Cilantro, and place both of these along with the Sesame Seeds on a plate for Garnishes.

6.) Spread out the Corn Starch on a sheet pan. One by one, place each Shrimp on the Corn Starch, burry it, and press the Starch firmly onto it. Shake off any excess Starch, slide a bamboo skewer into the center of the Shrimp, and set it on a plate. Repeat this process with every Shrimp. Setting the Shrimp skewers aside on a plate in bundles of about 5 to 10.

(Setting them in bundles now will make it easier to grab the right number of skewers later when frying. I’ve found the perfect number of skewers to fry at one time is about 5 to 7, but with a large enough hand and big enough wok, you could do as many as 10 skewers at once. Frying in batches like this will prevent the wok from being overcrowd and help the Shrimp cook more evenly).

7.) Fill a seasoned wok with Peanut Oil at least deep enough to cover the Shrimp when the skewers are submerged in the Oil. Heat the Oil on medium to medium-high heat until hot enough for frying.

8.) Hold a bundle of 5 skewers in one hand and a ladle in the other hand. Submerge the Shrimp ends of the skewers into the hot Oil and fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. As the Shrimps fry, ladle hot Oil over any parts of the Shrimp that are not submerged and rotate them so all are cooked evenly. Set the cooked Shrimp skewers on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining two to three bundles.

9.) With all the Shrimp skewers fully cooked, quickly skim away any loose particles from the Oil with a wire strainer. Increase the heat to high. Carefully holding all of the skewers, fry the Shrimp once more for 30 seconds, using the ladle to pour hot Oil over the Shrimps and rotating your wrist halfway through to cook both sides of the bundle evenly.

(This double-frying process will result in ultra-crispy fried Shrimp. Even when the hot Chili Oil is added later or if a sauce were to be used, the breading on the Shrimp will remain crispy and crunchy).

10.) Set the Shrimp skewers on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and pour the Oil out of the wok into a large pot. Quickly and carefully clean out the wok with a paper towel. Add 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil back to the wok and heat it on medium-high heat until nearly smoking.

11.) Pull the wok away from heat and add the Chilies, stirring them for just a second until fragrant. Add the Aromatics and stir-fry them just a few seconds until fragrant, creating a fragrant-spicy Chili Oil. Quickly add the Seasonings (Sugar, Salt, and White Pepper) directly to the Chili Oil in the wok.

12.) Return the wok to heat. Hold the Shrimp skewers in one hand and a ladle in the other hand. With the Shrimp skewers inside the wok, but not touching the sides or bottom, repeatedly spoon the Chili Oil (with the Chilies and Aromatics) over the Shrimp. Rotate your wrist and repeatedly spoon the Chili Oil over the other side of the Shrimp until every piece has been kissed by the Oil.

13.) Arrange the Shrimp Skewers on a plate and ladle the Chilies, Aromatics, and Chili Oil over them. Add the Garnishes and serve immediately.

 

Contribute to Sichuan Soul

Sichuan Soul is funded in part thanks to generous contributions by fans like you! Your donations supply Sichuan Soul with the funding needed to provide quality recipes and photos. All donations are processed safely and securely through PayPal. You can donate any amount using the 'Donate' button below. Thank you for your support.

 

Privacy Policy