an incredibly quick and simple meal to make, this kung pao shrimp is sweet, salty, sour and spicy, with a distinctive ma-la / 麻辣 (numbing-hot) sensation from the sichuan peppercorns. I’ve toned down the quantity of it in this version, as I don’t like it to overpower.

a few main components of the dish are shaoxing wine and chinese black vinegar, both usually containing wheat. we’ve managed to hunt down wheat-free versions of both, but if you can’t find either, saké and rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar would be fine substitutes! feel free to adjust the spice level to your liking, but beware that dried bird’s eyes or arbols have some kick!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp. saké or cooking wine
1 tbsp. gf tamari
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave)
2 tbsps. chinese black vinegar (substitute with balsamic or rice vinegar)
1 tbsp. saké or cooking wine
2 tsps. gf tamari
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

3 tbsps. neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point, like avocado, canola or grapeseed
4 small dried red chiles (bird’s eyes or arbol), snipped in 1-inch pieces with scissors *sub with 1 tsp. chili flakes
1/2 tsp. sichuan peppercorns, crushed (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch knob ginger, minced
2 stalks celery, sliced 1-cm thick on a bias, or 1 bell pepper, cut into 1-cm thick strips (optional)
3 green onions, roots removed, whites cut into 1/2 inch pieces, greens chopped for garnish
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Marinate shrimp with ingredients from cooking wine to salt. Set aside.

Whisk together ingredients from sweetener to cornstarch and set aside.

In a large wok, preheat oil until just barely smoking. Toss in dried chiles and sichuan peppercorns and fry until aromatic, about 5-10 seconds. Add in garlic and ginger and sauté until aromatic, about 10-15 seconds. Add shrimp and toss. Add celery or bell pepper, green onion whites and peanuts, and continue tossing. Pour the reserved sauce into the wok and cook for 2 minutes, tossing vigorously. If the pan is looking dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.

Garnish with herbs and serve with white rice.