Kung Pao Shirmp

We invited Tom and Scott over for Kung Pao Shirmp. This was another recipe from our new go to cookbook: Lucky Peach. We started with a Nectarine Salad with Speck and Burrata Cheese. The Kung Pao Shrimp was excellent. We purchased them from McCall’s Meat and Fish. I had to shell and devein them but they were beautiful. I liked the recipe (like all of the ones that we have tried from Lucky Peach Cookbook). It was a warm night and we ate outside. Ice Cream and Cookie for dessert, followed by a Scotch. We even had some July 3^rd fireworks to watch.

Kung Pao Shrimp

Lucky Peach

Peter Meehan

Sauce

2T     water

1T     soy sauce

1T     Shaoxing wine

1T     Chinkiang vinegar

1T     sugar

1t      sesame oil

1t      cornstarch

+       pinch of white pepper

Stir-fry

3 T    neutral oil

10     small dried red chilies

1t      Sichuan peppercorns

2t      minced garlic

2t      minced fresh ginger

½      red bell pepper, cut into ½” pieces

½      green bell pepper, cut into ½” pieces

2       celery stalks, cut into 1” pieces

1lb    large shrimp, shelled and deveined

+       kosher salt

2       scallions, cut into 1” pieces

½C    roasted unsalted peanuts

+       cooked rice, for serving

1.   Make the sauce: Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.

2.   Make the stir-fry: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok over high heat Add the chilies and peppercorns and stir-fry until they puff and brown slightly, about 5 seconds. Add the garlic, ginger, and bell peppers arid stir-fry until the peppers are browned in spots and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture to a plate. Add the celery to the pan and stir-fry until heated through and charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the peppers.

3.   Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Season the shrimp with salt and add to the wok. Stir-fry until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes. Return the peppers, celery, and spices to the wok. Add the scallions and peanuts and toss to combine everything. Add the sauce and cook, stirring, until it bubbles and thickens. When the sauce is thick and the shrimp are cooked through, remove from the heat Serve with rice.

Rung Pao (or gung bao) dishes are a celebration of texture, a cascade of crunchy, slippery, and crisp that keeps every bite interesting. We've made two tweaks to the classic: We dialed the heat all the way down and swapped out the more common chicken for shrimp. The shrimp substitution we stand by; the chili heat is your call and very easy to ramp up.