Kung Pao Shrimp

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Got a craving for Chinese? I do! When I want Chinese, I don’t always have to call my local delivery place – there’s plenty I can do right at home. Like this Kung Pao Shrimp. It’s full or great flavor made from mostly pantry staples. It’s a great addition to my weekly meal plan that won’t blow my budget – financial or point wise!

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Kung Pao Shrimp

Satisfy that Chinese food craving with easy Kung Pao Shrimp recipe. Lots of flavor, a bit of heat, and only 20 minutes until dinner!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Keyword Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, WW Friendly

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 208kcal

Equipment

• Wok, or large skillet

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp chicken broth
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 lbs. shrimp peeled and deveined
• 3 cups sugar or snap peas
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 2 green onions chopped

Instructions

• Combine broth, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and sesame oil in cup; set aside.
• Heat wok or large skillet over high heat until drop of water sizzles. Swirl in peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and stir-fry 10 seconds.
• Add shrimp and cook, undisturbed, 1 minute, letting shrimp begin to sear. Stir-fry 30seconds, until shrimp are lightly browned but not cooked through.
• Add snap peas and salt. Stir-fry 30 seconds or just until combined. Add bell pepper and scallions. Stir broth mixture and add to wok. Stir-fry 1–2 minutes or until shrimp are just cooked and vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Serve hot

Notes

This recipe is 4 Green and 3 Blue or Purple WW Points.

Jump to nutritional information

When it comes to Chinese or Asian flavored food, I get two types of cravings.  The first is when I just want something a little on the unhealthy side.  Now anyone that has followed WW knows, nothing is technically off limits, and we all have those days when we just want something that isn’t good for us if we indulge in it often, but every now and then . . . .  One of my every now and thens is Chinese food.  Not just any Chinese food, but cheap, greasy, take out Chinese.  Lo Mein is usually my go-to in this case, with a side of crab Rangoon or fried wontons.  Obviously, I hold myself back if I’m on a round of Whole30, but if I’m not and the craving strikes, well, sometimes I make that call.

The second kind of craving is when I want those flavors – that mix of garlic and ginger.  Add in some vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, or green onions.  Top off with some soy sauce, and I am good to go.  So when this second type of craving stuck recently, I added the ingredients for a Kung Pao to my grocery list. 

And I use a lot of ingredients in this dish!  Fortunately, most of these items are pantry staples.  Check – you probably have most in your kitchen right now!  Really, the only thing I had to order with my groceries this week was the fresh produce.  Vinegars, sugar, soy sauce, all almost always in my pantry or cabinet.

So now that I have everything – time to get started.  For me, the key to any Asian dish is the sauce.  For the Kung Pao I experimented a lot before settling on this combination of flavors, but I really like it.  I normally wouldn’t have thought to put balsamic vinegar in, but someone suggested it and I really love the boldness it added.  To make the sauce, I’ll start by combining my broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and sugar together in a bowl.  Stir to combine and set aside.  If you are avoiding gluten, make sure to choose a gluten free soy sauce, or substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.  Coconut aminos is also a great alternative to soy sauce if you are avoiding soy.

Peel and devein the shrimp if you haven’t already.  Get your wok or another large skillet and heat it to high heat.  Once drops of water will sizzle in the hot pan, add in some peanut oil.  Swirl the oil to coat the pan.  We’ll start by creating some of those classic flavors by adding the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the hot pan.  For whenever you need to mince garlic or ginger, a great tool to use is a rolling garlic press.  The rounded design makes it easy to mince fresh garlic, and safer!  The handle keeps your fingers away from any sharp edges.  It works great on ginger too!  The Hoppin Meal Plans store has these and other great kitchen tools available for you.  Don’t forget to check out the store – after you’re done cooking of course.

For the heat I’m only using the red pepper flakes, but if you’ve ever ordered a hot dish like a Kung Pao Shrimp from a Chinese restaurant, you’ve probably had little peppers in your dish.  These are Tien Tsin peppers and that’s what gives many dishes their kick.  I, and more importantly, my husband, are not big fans of spicy food.  I like a little kick, but not a lot, so the red pepper flakes are fine for us, but if you want to kick yours up, look for Tien Tsin peppers and add them now to your stir fry.

The garlic and ginger mix only need a moment to become fragrant.  Once all those great smells start to rise from your wok, add the shrimp.  Allow the shrimp to sear by sitting undisturbed for a minute.  Once the shrimp start to get a bit of a sear, stir them until they are slightly browned on each side.  Don’t wait for them to be cooked through yet – we still have vegetables to add!

Now come our vegetables.  Of course, you can change them up and use whatever combination fits your taste.  Broccoli, zucchini, baby corn, all work with stir fries.  But I’m starting with snap peas.  I’ll add the peas and salt and stir for about thirty seconds to combine them with the shrimp.  Next, I’ll add in my bell peppers and green onions.  Continue to stir the vegetables and shrimp until everything is well combined. 

Once all of the vegetables are in the wok and stirred in, get the sauce mix that was set aside earlier.  Give it a few good stirs and then pour it over everything.  Continue stirring to combine everything and coat the shrimp and vegetables.  Stir until the shrimp are cooked through and the vegetables have a crispy-tender texture.  The shrimp usually take a total of about five or six minutes to be cooked through. 

Remove the wok from the heat once the shrimp is cooked through. Serve hot.  If you want to add a little more, serve over rice or cauliflower rice.  Not a fan of shrimp?  Just substitute bite sized pieces of chicken.

Need more quick and easy meals? Stir fries are can’t miss. Check out some of my other stir fry recipes like Pork, Pineapple, and Snow Pea Stir Fry or Chicken Marsala Stir-Fry.

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