Asian Chili Garlic Shrimp

A delicious and easy-to-make recipe with perfectly cooked shrimp in a garlicky, slightly sweet, and spicy sauce.  It is one of those dinners you can put together in no time and make you glad you skipped takeout. An alternate way to make this dish is the Filipino adaptation that involves adding 7-up or Sprite for that extra sweetness and using head-on shelled shrimp for full flavor.

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love this recipe
• What you’ll need
• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Frequently asked questions and tips
• The key takeaway
• Watch how I make it here
• You may like these too
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It's a super easy dish to make and definitely better than takeout.
• Use large shrimp as they are less likely to get overcooked.

What you’ll need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Shrimp: For this recipe, I like to use “jumbo” (21-25) or “extra-jumbo” (16-20) — these numbers mean 21 to 25 pieces or 16 to 20 pieces of shrimp per pound. There are no standard names for sizes, but you will see number labels that tell you the number of pieces for each pound. Sometimes you will see U/10, for example, and that simply means “under” 10 count per pound.  Just remember that the smaller the number, the larger the size.

• Chili Garlic Sauce: Interchangeable with Sambal Oelek in this recipe. They are both widely used in Asian cuisine and are very similar to each other. They are ground red chilies with a thick and chunky consistency used as a condiment or cooking ingredient. Chili Garlic Sauce, unlike Sambal Oelek, is made with the addition of garlic. I use them in sauces and stir-fries like tofu and asparagus stir-fry. They add freshness and heat, as if fresh chilies were used, without changing the dish's flavor. As a substitute, you can use an equal amount of Sriracha.

• Shaoxing Wine: An amber-colored Chinese rice wine that is an essential ingredient in Chinese and Chinese-influenced Filipino recipes.   Its addition, although typically minimal, does make a lot of difference in cooking. I use it in stir-fries like Beef Stir Fry with Onions and Peppers, braises/stews, and sauces. It adds depth, enhancing the flavors in the dish. To substitute in this recipe, you can use another Chinese cooking wine or Japanese rice wine (sake).

How to make this recipe

Sear the shrimp: (1)Rinse and dry on paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper. (2)Place them in a bowl and add cornstarch to lightly coat them. Set a skillet over high heat. When the pan is almost smoking, add oil to coat the bottom.

(3)Sear the shrimp for one minute on one side. (4)Turn and give the other side another minute to brown. Careful not to overcook them. Add more oil as needed. Don't overcrowd the pan to keep the temperature high. Sear in batches. Transfer to a plate.

Make the sauce: Lower the heat to medium. On the same pan, add more oil as needed. (5)Sauté the ginger, garlic, shallots, and chilies. Cook until slightly softened for a minute. Make sure they don't burn. (6)Add the Chili Garlic Sauce, Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, water, sugar, and salt.

(7)Let it cook until it starts bubbling. (8)Mix the butter in.  Taste and adjust — you may want more salt, sugar, or more chilies.

Combine: (9)Bring the shrimp back to the pan and coat with the sauce. Turn off the heat.

Serve: Add scallions, cilantro, and fried garlic or shallots as an option. Enjoy!

Frequently asked questions and tips

The key takeaway

You can tweak the sauce to exactly how you like it, but cooking the shrimp perfectly is the most important thing to remember in making this dish or any shrimp dish for that matter.

Watch how I make it here

You may like these too

📖 Recipe