Sichuan Dry-Pot Shrimp
SICHUAN · CHINA

Sichuan Dry-Pot Shrimp

干锅虾Main

Shrimp seared hard in a wokful of chilli, garlic and Sichuan pepper, then blasted dry so every drop of oil clings to the shell. Gan guo xia: numbing, fiery, and built to be eaten with your fingers.

Total
40 min
Heat
4/5
Serves
4

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Flavour profile

Heat
Funk
Acid
Richness
Umami
  • Charred
  • Garlicky
  • Numbing
  • Spicy

The real deal

Region
Sichuan, the dry-pot (gan guo) tradition of Chongqing and Chengdu kitchens.
Technique
High heat and little liquid: aromatics bloomed in hot oil, then the shrimp dry-fried in a small pool of chilli oil until the shells crisp and the base is glossy, never soupy.
We kept
Whole shell-on shrimp, doubanjiang, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and a wok that stays screaming hot; nothing is watered down.

Ingredients

4 Serves

Wok

  • 700 g · whole, shell on, head on if you can get them, deveined
  • 4 tbsp
  • 1½ tbsp · Pixian, chopped fine
  • 20 · snipped in half, seeds shaken out
  • 1½ tbsp · red, toasted and ground
  • 6 cloves · sliced
  • 4 cm · julienned
  • 6 · white parts in batons, greens in lengths
  • 1 · cut in petals
  • 3 · cut in batons

Marinade

  • 1 tsp
  • 1 tbsp
  • 2 tsp

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp
  • 1 tsp

finish

  • 1 tsp
  • 1 tbsp
  • 1 bunch · optional · roughly torn

Method

  1. Keeping the shells on, cut down the back of each with scissors or a small knife and pull out the dark vein. Leave the heads and legs on if you have them: they carry the flavour that makes this dish.

    Shell-on is not optional here. Peeled shrimp steam instead of searing and the dry pot turns wet and flat.

  2. Toss the shrimp with 1 tsp , 1 tbsp and 2 tsp until each one is lightly coated. Leave them for 10 min while you do everything else.

  3. Snip the in half and shake out the loose seeds. Slice the , julienne the , cut the into petals and the into short batons. Cut the into batons, keeping the whites and greens apart. Toast the in a dry wok over medium heat until it smells citrusy and crackles, about 1 min, then grind to a coarse powder.

  4. Stir 1 tbsp with 1 tsp in a small bowl and park it by the stove.

  5. Heat the wok over high heat until it just smokes, then add 4 tbsp and swirl. When the oil shimmers, add the and stir until they turn deep brick-red and smell toasty, about 30 sec.

    Hot wok, cool oil. If the chillies blacken they turn bitter and the whole pot is lost: pull the wok off the heat the moment they darken.

  6. Drop the heat to medium heat, push the chillies to one side and add . Fry it hard for 30 sec until the oil turns deep red and smells savoury, then add the , and the white and stir for another 30 sec.

    Doubanjiang burns in seconds. Keep it moving and watch the oil: as soon as it reddens, you are there.

  7. Turn the heat back to high heat, add the shrimp in one layer and let them sit untouched for 1 min. When the shells go pink and smell toasted, toss and fry until just opaque, another 1 min.

    Crowding steams the shrimp. If your wok is small, do this in two batches and return everything at the end.

  8. Add the and and toss hard for 1 min: they should stay crisp and barely softened.

  9. Pour in sauce and toss for 45 sec until it reduces to a dark gloss that coats the shrimp and there is no liquid left in the wok.

  10. Kill the heat and stir through 1 tsp , the green pieces and most of the ground Sichuan pepper. Scatter over and the if using, dust with the rest of the pepper and serve straight from the wok.

    Eat it hot, with your fingers. The dry pot keeps cooking in its own heat, so do not let it sit.

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