Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Kung Pao Shrimp
Kung Pao shrimp has a lively sauce with salty, sweet and spicy edges, and peanuts give it a welcome crunch. The onion softens among the shrimp before the sauce turns glossy. Spoon it over the suggested rice and enjoy a little peanut with each bite.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Seafood
- Cuisine
- Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Keep sauce and slurry separate
Whisk sauce in one bowl and dissolve cornstarch in water in another before starting the skillet cooking.
2. Cook shrimp before adding sauce
Saute the shrimp mixture until shrimp are pink and cooked through and the onion is tender.
3. Boil to thicken before simmering
Stir in sauce and slurry, let the mixture come to a boil and thicken, then reduce heat for the simmer.
Get to know the ingredients
Prepared shrimp
Devein the large or medium shrimp and remove their tails before adding them to the skillet.
Vinegar alternatives
Balsamic is listed, with rice wine or white vinegar allowed as alternatives in the sauce when needed.
Peanuts
Peanuts go into the pan with shrimp, oil, garlic, pepper flakes and onion, rather than being saved only for topping.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Kung Pao Shrimp
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Spoon over rice
After the thickened sauce has simmered, serve with cooked rice and add green onions as an optional garnish.
A little more help as you go
Adjust the chili sauce
The sauce ingredient allows Sriracha or crushed red pepper flakes, with more to taste if you'd like extra heat.
Extra vegetables are welcome
Use other vegetables you enjoy, such as broccoli, alongside the shrimp.
A few questions you might have
Does the shrimp need its own pan?
Shrimp, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped onion and peanuts saute together in the large pan.
Is cornstarch sprinkled straight into the hot sauce?
Dissolve it in the separate water bowl first, then stir the slurry into the pan after adding sauce.
When should I turn the heat down?
Wait for the sauce and slurry mixture to boil and thicken, then reduce heat for the final simmer.
Is sesame oil used for the first saute?
The listed sesame oil belongs to the whisked sauce; the separate oil portion cooks with shrimp and onion.
What tells me the initial shrimp stage is finished?
Look for pink, fully cooked shrimp and tender onion before adding the prepared sauce and cornstarch slurry.
Any more cooking tips?
Veggies: feel free to add other favorite veggies – broccoli is one of my favs here!
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
