Chilli Prawns (Shrimp Manchurian)

Chilli Prawn also known as Chili Shrimp is a popular Asian dish where crisp fried prawns are tossed in a spicy, hot, sweet and tangy chili sauce. It is popular in the fine-dining Chinese and Indo-Chinese restaurants, usually served as an appetizer. But it also goes well with noodles or fried rice.

In this post I share how to make Chilli Prawns along with plenty of tips to keep it soft from inside yet crisp from outside. You can also transform this to a shrimp manchurian using my tips below. While the restaurants deep fry the batter coated shrimp I pan fry them with little oil for a healthier option. You can also air fry them for nearly the same results, but I find the pan-fried or the deep fried versions to be more flavorsome.

To pan-fry the shrimp it is essential to brine them for a while and this does the magic of keeping them tender from inside without turning chewy. This step also removes the raw seafood smell from your prawns. However if you prefer to deep fry, you may omit the brining step, make a thick batter, deep fry them until crisp and go ahead with the recipe.

Unlike other fried shrimp/prawn recipes, you don’t need to make a batter for this if you intend to pan-fry. Simply toss the brined shrimp in seasoned flour and pan-fry them for great results. The flour gets fried and gives a great crust to the prawns.

You only need pantry staples to make this dish. But you can also use any other favorite sauce for flavor variations.

Photo Guide

How to make Chilli Prawns (Stepwise Photos)

1. Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ tablespoons sugar and 1 cup of water to a bowl. Dissolve the sugar completely and add the deveined shrimp. Use about 9 ounces (250 grams) shrimp. I used about 11 tiger prawns here. Let rest for 20 mins while you prepare the following ingredients:

• ½ cup bell peppers diced
• ¼ cup spring onions (greens & whites separated or ½ cup cubed onions layers separated)
• 1 tablespoon (4 medium) garlic coves chopped
• 1 to 2 green chili slit – optional

2. Drain the water completely from the prawns after 20 mins. Mix together 2 tablespoons corn flour, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle all over the prawns. Coat them well and let rest for 10 mins so the dry flour absorbs the excess moisture.

3. Heat 1½ tablespoon oil in a pan until hot enough. Place the prawns one by one in the hot oil.

4. Let cook until they begin to swirl. Using a tong, turn them to the other side. Cook until they swirl to C shape, turn crisp and cooked through. It only takes about 3 to 4 mins as they are brined. Remove to a plate.

5. Clean up the pan with a paper towel and add 1 tablespoon oil. Saute garlic until fragrant. Add chilies, capsicum, onion cubes or spring onions whites and a pinch of salt. Saute on a high flame just for one to 2 mins until the bell peppers are half cooked yet retain their crunch.

6. Add 1½ tablespoon red chili sauce, 1 teaspoon red chili powder mixed with 2 tbsps water, 1 to 1½ teaspoon soya sauce, 1 to 1½ teaspoon rice vinegar, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of water.

To make shrimp Manchurian, omit the chili paste and double the soya sauce.

7. Bring to a boil and let cook until bubbling. Taste test to adjust sauces as per your preference.

8. Switch off the stove and add the fried prawns.

Toss well and garnish with green onions. Serve chili prawns immediately to enjoy the crust.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card