Does anyone have a recipe for shrimp in spicy red pepper sauce as served in Chinese restaurants?

Question

The recipe I'm looking for is not exceptionally spicy, and contains ginger.

Answer 1

My way of preparing Kung Pao tiger prawns is a bit different to David's way.  We mostly refer it as Spicy chili prawns in Szchuan style.

1) Marinate the devained tiger prawns with beaten egg white + white pepper, rice wine, a tiny bit of sugar and salt for a few minutes, then sprinkle some corn starch to coat the prawns and deep fry the prawns till about 80% cooked.  Drain well and set aside.  

2) Heat some peanut oil over medium heat on a wok, stir fry some dried Szechuan peppercorns (whole) for about 30 seconds,  remove them, add some dried red chili, sliced garlic, ginger root, & ground Szchuan pepper and stir fry quickly till fragrant, add 1 tablespoon of sugar in wok, reduce heat to low, continue to stir till sugar dissolve.  Add a tablespoon of Chinese yellow wine in wok. Turn heat to medium high.

3) Mix 1 tablespoon of chilipaste (dou ban paste)  + 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar + 2 tablespoons of chicken stock with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch dessolved in a bowl, then add into the wok, stir till the sauce is thicken, try the taste and season the sauce with a bit of sugar or salt or soy sauce if desired.  

4) Put the prawns back to wok, stir fry quickly till the prawns cooked.  Sprinkle a free drops of sesame oil and some  chopped green onions  & deep fried peanuts in the wok, turn off heat, toss to combine, serve on plate.

Answer 2

You mean like Kung Pao Shrimp. I make mine by marinating the shrimp in a chili-garlic sauce and chinese cooking wine marinade.

The I assemble the stir fry ingredients, I like fresh garlic, onions, no peppers, a bit of ginger not to much as it overpowers and is not as big a staple in Sichuan as in Cantonese cuisine.

I then make up my sauce mixture, water, cornstarch, chili-garlic paste, sugar, a bit of and forgive me, Ketchup, soya sauce and sesame oil for flavour.

I first stir fry the garlic and ginger, now I like it hot so I add a few dried whole chilis, once they start to toast, add the onions and stir them for 1 minute, then the shrimp for 2 minutes, I then add a dash of water cover the wok for 2 minutes and let them cook, open the top stir them around, mix the sauce base add it to the wok, cook until thicken 1-2 minute and then off and on a bed of hot rice, shrimp cook after heat is off and you what them crunchy and cooked not like erasers.

You can add more veg like sliced carrots, blanched bok choy, snowpeas and red and green peppers but the real Kung Pao is a plainer spicey dish, not all the fanfare of Americanize dishes.

I am a former chef, worked in Canada, Singapore, Jamaica and Tokyo Japan, and have made this a few times and this is my rendition.