Make restaurant-quality Hunan shrimp in just 20 minutes! This flavorful shrimp recipe is the perfect balance of crispy, flavorful, and hearty. Just like our Hunan Beef and Pad Woon Sen recipes.
Juicy shrimp, green beans, and scallions are pan-fried and tossed in a rich soy-chili sauce. Serve over rice or stir fried vegetables.
More Chinese takeaway recipes: Chow Mei Fun, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Empress Chicken and Fried Rice.
What are Hunan shrimp?
Hunan shrimp is a chili-laden dish commonly found on menus at American-Chinese restaurants. It is fried shrimp coated in Hunan sauce, prepared with chili paste, garlic, rice vinegar and soy sauce. It’s one of the spicier recipes on the menu.
What’s in Hunan shrimp
Here are the main ingredients for preparing Hunan-style shrimp with substitution options. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Hunan sauce
chili paste – Read on for a list of recommended options
oil – Use your favorite cooking oil (peanut, sesame, grapeseed, avocado, canola or vegetable)
rice vinegar
Optional- Add a teaspoon of honey if you like it sweeter.
shrimp pan
shrimp – Fresh or frozen (any size)
Green beans – Other vegetables to add or replace green beans: bell peppers, zucchini, or snow peas 
chili sauce
There are a number of different chilli pastes that you can use for this dish. We usually stick to Huy Fong Sambal Oelek (pictured below) when preparing Chinese recipes, but it’s not the only option. Here are some other options:
How to do
Preparing Hunan-style shrimp doesn’t take much time, but it’s all hands-on time. Here are the general steps to follow when creating. For the full recipe, see the detailed recipe card below.
Sauce – Whisk the sauce ingredients together.
shrimp – Coat the shrimp in cornstarch and stir-fry!
Vegetables – Sauté the green beans and spring onions.
sauce it up – Toss the shrimp and vegetables with the Hunan sauce and eat away!
Serving recommendations
This Hunan Shrimp Recipe can be enjoyed on its own or alongside some other classics. As mentioned above, rice or fried rice are always welcome additions. Add some extra veggies to fill up each serving. Any Asian noodle recipe would make a great side dish…think garlic noodles, sesame noodles, etc.
The Hunanese love fermented food, so a helping of our pickles or other pickles would be killer.
expert tips
- Butterfly the shrimp for maximum shrimp-to-sauce ratio.
- Make sure the shrimp are 100% dry before adding them to the cornstarch. You will find that the end result suffers as the coating does not adhere.
- The oil should be hot (popping slightly) before you add the food.
- Don’t overfill the pan. Fry in batches to avoid the temperature of the oil dropping, resulting in mushy shrimp.
- This fried shrimp recipe tastes best when enjoyed right away.
variations
Hunan chicken – Swap out the shrimp for chicken for a classic Hunan chicken meal.
Hunan beef – Swap out the shrimp for beef for a classic Hunan beef dish.
Hunan Vegetables – Instead of using shrimp, use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus would be great additions. Just add them with the green beans.
Hunan vs Sichuan
What is the difference between Hunan shrimp and Szechuan shrimp is a very common question. Both are made with fermented red chilli paste, garlic, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, but that’s where the basic similarities end.
Hunan shrimp contain no sweeteners and are hotter than Szechuan shrimp because they use fresh chilies or chili paste.
Szechuan shrimp contain dried chilies and some honey or brown sugar to simmer down the spices.
Hunan cuisine
There are eight major regional cuisines in Chinese cuisine: Anhui (徽菜; Huīcài), Guangdong (粤菜; Yuècài), Fujian (闽菜; Mǐncài), Hunan (湘菜; Xiāngcài), Jiangsu (苏菜; Sūcài), Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài), Sichuan (川菜; Chuāncài) and Zhejiang (浙菜; Zhècài) cuisines. Find out more about the individual regions here>> Wikipedia.
Sichuan and Cantonese are the most well-known in the United States, but Hunan is quickly climbing the ranks.
Also known as Xiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine includes heavy use of chili paste, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and scallions.
egg drop soup
Korean Beef Bulgogi
Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
drink pairings
Stick to a semi-sweet Riesling or Pinot Grigio when serving shrimp Hunan.
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 188kcal
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine the broth, chili paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, and garlic and whisk together.
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Pat shrimp dry and place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch on top and toss gently to coat.
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Preheat a wok or large skillet over high heat and add half the oil. Swirl the pan so the oil coats the inside.
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Once hot, carefully add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
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Put the remaining oil in the pan. Add the green beans and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Add the spring onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
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Add the shrimp and sauce to the pan, tossing gently to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick.
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Serve immediately over rice and garnish with additional spring onions.
Tip 2 – Use your favorite cooking oil: peanut, sesame, grapeseed, avocado, canola or vegetable.
FULL RECIPE: https://www.foodieandwine.com/hunan-shrimp
Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 12G | Protein: 17G | Fat: 8thG | Saturated Fatty Acids: 1G | Polyunsaturated fat: 4G | Monounsaturated fatty acids: 2G | Trans fats: 0.1G | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 2G | Sugar: 3G | Vitamin A: 748ie | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 1mg