Classic Kung Pao flavor—savory, fresh, numbing, spicy, with a hint of sweet and sour, featuring crisp and tender shrimp.
"Gong Bao" (Kung Pao) as a classic flavor profile has inspired countless variations over the years, but here we focus on the most traditional preparation—no chili oil, no ground chili powder, just dried chilies and premium Sichuan peppercorns for an authentic, pure taste.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 7 oz) shrimp, peeled and deveined
The fresher the shrimp, the crisper the texture, so it's best to buy fresh shrimp and peel them yourself, as frozen shrimp from the supermarket have poorer texture. If the live shrimp are difficult to peel, freeze them for half an hour first to make peeling easier.
Additional Ingredients
50 g (about 1/4 cup) peanuts
Marinade for the shrimp
1 g salt
2 g soy sauce
5 g Shaoxing wine
pepper to taste
cornstarch a small amount
Seasonings for Kung Pao Sauce
15 g (about 1 tablespoon) Shaoxing wine
12 g (about 2½ teaspoons) soy sauce
20 g rice vinegar (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
20 g (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) white sugar
1 g salt
Cornstarch, to taste
The proportions of the various seasonings in the Kung Pao sauce must strictly follow this recipe.
Other Seasonings
Dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, to taste
green onion, ginger, and garlic - to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
① Devein the shrimp, rinse clean, wrap in a cloth, and gently squeeze to remove surface moisture (Image 2).
*Before marinating the shrimp, be sure to pat them completely dry with a paper towel; if there is too much moisture, the seasoning won't adhere to the shrimp.
*If you have ice water with ice cubes, place the shrimp in it to chill for a while, then pat dry before marinating for an even crispier texture.
Soak the peanuts in warm water in advance, then remove the skins; deep-fry them in warm oil until crispy and set aside. Slice the green onion lengthwise and cut into large chunks, slice the ginger and garlic into small pieces (Image 3), remove the seeds from the dried chilies and snip them into small sections, then set aside (Image 4).
Step 3: Place the shrimp in a bowl, add the marinating seasonings and toss to coat evenly (see Figure 5), then cover and refrigerate for a while to chill.
*When marinating, first add salt and toss the shrimp until they become very sticky—this is the result of the salt reacting with the proteins on the shrimp's surface. Then add the other seasonings, and finally toss with starch; the marinated shrimp should feel very sticky with no watery liquid. (This is a quick standard marinating method; for an even crisper texture, use a different technique.)
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves, then set aside.
④ Pour all the Kung Pao sauce seasonings into a bowl, stir well, and set aside (Image 6).
*Stir as much as possible to ensure the sugar and salt are fully dissolved, and use enough cornstarch to thicken the sauce properly.
Dry-fry the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers until fragrant.
⑤ Pour an appropriate amount of oil into the wok and heat to around 40-50% hot. First, add Sichuan peppercorns and dry-fry over medium-low heat for a moment, then increase to medium heat and heat the oil to about 60% hot. Add dried chilies and quickly stir-fry until they turn a reddish-brown color (Figure 7).
*Dry-fry the Sichuan peppercorns in warm oil for a bit longer to release their numbing aroma, then turn to medium heat and stir-fry the dried chilies.
When the chili peppers are about to turn a brownish-red color, add the shrimp and stir-fry them together, ensuring the final heat level is just right.
Stir-fry the shrimp until they turn pink and curl slightly, then remove and set aside.
⑥ Turn the heat to high, add the marinated shrimp and stir-fry until they change color on the surface (Image 8), then add the ginger and garlic slices and continue stir-frying until the shrimp are almost fully curled. Pour in the prepared Kung Pao sauce and stir-fry for a couple of turns (Image 9), then immediately add the scallion pieces and peanuts, stir-fry until well combined, and remove from the heat (Image 10).
*Shrimp cooks quickly; the ideal doneness is when they curl until the tips almost touch—work fast, because overcooked shrimp turn mealy and mushy, so it's far better to cook them just 90% done than to let them go too far.
Stir the Kung Pao sauce again before pouring it into the wok to prevent the cornstarch from settling at the bottom.
*Once the shrimp are added to the wok, stir-fry over high heat the entire time; the fried peanuts must be completely cooled before adding them to the dish, otherwise they won't be crispy.
Flexible application
Kung Pao preparation works well with most tender-crisp ingredients—beyond the well-known Kung Pao Chicken, you can also make Kung Pao Pork Cubes, Kung Pao Pork Kidney, and more.