Equipment
Ingredients
Shrimp and Marinade
- 500 g large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 15 ml shaoxing wine
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 5 g cornstarch
Aromatics
- 15 g fermented black beans, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 15 g garlic, minced
- 10 g fresh ginger, minced
- 20 g scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
- 30 ml neutral cooking oil
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 60 ml chicken stock
- 15 g oyster sauce
- 5 g sugar
- 5 g cornstarch
- 5 ml toasted sesame oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 232 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbohydrates
- 8 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 665 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 201 mg
- Potassium
- 473 mg
- Calcium
- 105 mg
- Iron
- 1.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 50 mg
- Phosphorus
- 307 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 11 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.03 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 5 mcg
- Water
- 126 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the shrimp, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and 5g of cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Toss to coat the shrimp evenly and let marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, oyster sauce, sugar, remaining 5g of cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil to create the stir-fry sauce slurry.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until wisps of white smoke begin to appear. Swirl in the neutral cooking oil.
Add the marinated shrimp to the hot wok in a single layer. Sear undisturbed for 1 minute until the bottoms turn pink, then swiftly remove the partially cooked shrimp from the wok and set aside on a plate.
Reduce the heat slightly to medium. Add the minced garlic, ginger, white parts of the scallions, and chopped fermented black beans to the remaining oil in the wok. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until highly fragrant.
Give the sauce slurry a quick stir to ensure the cornstarch is dissolved, then pour it into the wok. Simmer for 30 seconds until the sauce bubbles and visibly thickens.
Return the partially cooked shrimp and any accumulated juices to the wok. Toss vigorously in the thickened sauce for 30 to 60 seconds until the shrimp are fully coated and cooked through to an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F.
Remove the wok from the heat immediately. Garnish with the reserved green parts of the scallions, toss once more, and transfer to a serving dish.
Chef's Notes
- Rinsing fermented black beans is essential. Straight from the package, they can be intensely salty and overwhelm the delicate sweetness of the shrimp.
- The process of lightly coating the shrimp in cornstarch and liquid before cooking is a classic Chinese technique called velveting. It creates a micro-barrier that protects the protein from harsh heat, keeping the interior tender.
- Preparation is crucial for wok cooking. Have all aromatics minced and the sauce mixed before turning on the stove, as the active cooking process takes less than 5 minutes.
- A hot wok is required to develop wok hei (the breath of the wok), but turn the heat down slightly before adding your aromatics to prevent the garlic from turning bitter.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store in an airtight container. Seafood degrades quickly in quality.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water until just warmed through to avoid overcooking.
Troubleshooting
Shrimp are tight, curled into an O-shape, and rubbery to chew
Cause: Overcooking during the initial sear or final toss
Fix: Cannot be fixed once overcooked
Prevention: Remove shrimp from the pan immediately when they are only partially cooked during the first step, and limit the final toss to just warming them through
Sauce clumps immediately when poured into the wok
Cause: Cornstarch settled at the bottom of the bowl and was dropped in as a solid mass
Fix: Add a splash of water and whisk vigorously over low heat to smooth out the lumps
Prevention: Always stir cornstarch slurries vigorously immediately before pouring into hot pans
Dish tastes overwhelmingly salty or bitter
Cause: Fermented black beans were not rinsed, or garlic was burnt
Fix: Balance with a small pinch of extra sugar and a splash of plain water to dilute the sauce
Prevention: Briefly rinse black beans to remove excess surface salt, and control wok heat when cooking aromatics
Cultural Context
Fermented black beans (douchi) are one of the oldest known soy products in Chinese culinary history, dating back thousands of years. Combined with fresh garlic and ginger, they create a foundational flavor profile prevalent in Cantonese and Sichuan cooking. This robust umami sauce perfectly balances the natural sweetness of fresh seafood.
