This Asian Shrimp with Snow Peas, takes 15-minute to make and is perfect for a laid-back evening. With shrimp, garlic, snow peas, and a sauce that's both sweet and spicy, it's a simple yet satisfying dish that will make your dinner feel like a special occasion.
For those who find it challenging to enjoy their greens, this spicy garlic shrimp dish might just change your mind. It's a simple yet flavorful recipe that combines the heat of the shrimp with the fresh crunch of snow peas.
If you're a fan of Asian shrimp recipes, you'll love my Chinese Stir-Fried Shrimp, a classic dish with a ketchup twist. And if you're looking for more shrimp-based dishes to try, don't miss out on my Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Vermicelli Noodle Bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: This Asian shrimp recipe is so easy to prepare. With a total cooking time of just 15 minutes, you'll have a delicious meal on the table in no time.
- Delicious: The combination of fresh shrimp, crisp snow peas, and a spicy sauce creates a flavor-packed dish that's simply irresistible.
- Classic Flavors: This recipe features a classic blend of Asian flavors, including Sriracha, hoisin, and oyster sauce, that you will fall in love with!
Ingredients For Asian Shrimp
- Shrimp: The star of this dish, shrimp adds a delicious, and a satisfying texture. I like to use frozen shrimp for this recipe, but fresh shrimp will also work. If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure you fully thaw it before using it. I like to use 21/25 shrimp at home.
- Sriracha Chili Sauce: This sauce adds a spicy kick to the dish, elevating the flavor profile.
- Hoisin Sauce: A sweet and savory sauce that adds depth and complexity to the dish. You can easily find it at most grocery stores or your local Asian supermarket.
- Oyster Sauce: This sauce enhances the savory, umami flavor of the dish. You can easily find it at most grocery stores or your local Asian supermarket.
- Chinese Rice Cooking Wine: Adds a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor to the dish. For this recipe I like to use miju (rice) cooking wine, but Shaoxing cooking wine works as well. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, it’s easily found at any Asian supermarket. But to keep things simple, you can substitute this with any cooking wine, such as dry sherry or white wine.
How to Make Asian Shrimp
Making this incredible Asian shrimp recipe at home is super easy and will give you great results every single time. Here's how to make it step by step:
Preparation
Thaw the Shrimp: If you're using frozen shrimp, immerse them in cold water for about 15-20 minutes until they're thawed. I prefer leaving the skin on my shrimp, but feel free to peel it off once they're thawed. Set the shrimp aside once done.
Prepare the Snow Peas: Rinse the snow peas and trim off any stems. Set them aside for later use.
Making the Spicy Sauce
Prepare the Cornstarch Slurry: Combine the cornstarch with cold water and set it aside.
Combine the Sauce Ingredients: In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin, chili flakes, oyster sauce, and sriracha until well combined. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and mix well. Set the sauce aside.
Bringing it All Together
Heat the Pan: Set your stove to medium heat. Add a bit of oil to a frying pan and wait until it's hot.
Sauté the Garlic: Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the butter and garlic. Toast them for about half a minute.
Cook the Shrimp: Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until they turn pink, which should take approximately 2-4 minutes. Once they become a 'C' shape and have turned a pink, opaque color, they are done.
Stir-fry the Snow Peas: Add the snow peas and stir-fry for about 1 minute until they turn vibrant green. Be careful not to overcook them; we want them to stay crisp!
Combine with the Sauce: Pour in the sauce and stir everything together until the sauce thickens, which should take about 1-2 minutes.
Enjoy your Meal: Your Asian shrimp dish is now ready to be served. Try it with some steamed rice. Enjoy!
Joyce’s Tips For Making the Best Asian Shrimp
- Thaw and Frozen Shrimp: If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they are thawed before using it. You can either leave it in the fridge for a few hours, or submerge it in cold water for 15 minutes. Also, consider leaving the skin on for extra flavor, but feel free to peel if you prefer.
- Use Cold Water for Corn Starch Slurry: When making your corn starch slurry, always use cold water. Warm or hot water can cause the corn starch to clump, resulting in a lumpy sauce.
- Don't Overcook the Snow Peas: Snow peas should only be cooked for about 1 minute until they turn a vibrant green. This ensures they retain their crispness and don't become soggy.
- Don't Overcook the Shrimp: Depending on the size of the shrimp, it may take anywhere between 2-4 minutes to cook. For perfectly cooked shrimp, you want them to curl into a 'C' shape, and it should be an opaque white and pink color. If they turn into an 'O' shape, they may be overdone and rubbery.
Serving Suggestions
- This Asian shrimp recipe is a great main dish for a family dinner. Serve it over a bed of steamed jasmine rice to soak up the spicy sauce, and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds for an extra crunch. If you want more flavor, I like to also serve it with chicken fried rice, garlic fried rice, yeung chow fried rice, egg fried rice or nasi goreng!
- For a more traditional Asian meal, pair this shrimp dish with a side of stir-fried noodles like hakka noodles, pad woon sen, yaki udon or japchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry) . The savory noodles complement the spicy shrimp perfectly, making for a satisfying and balanced meal.
- If you're in the mood for a lighter meal, serve this shrimp stir-fry on a bed of fresh greens. The crisp lettuce and spicy shrimp make for a refreshing and tasty salad.
Recipe Variation Ideas
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian twist on this Asian shrimp recipe, replace the shrimp with tofu or a mix of your favorite vegetables. You can stir-fry the tofu or vegetables in the same spicy sauce for a delicious vegetarian meal.
- Honey Garlic Shrimp: For a sweeter take on this dish, try making a honey garlic shrimp variation. Replace the Sriracha chili sauce with honey and add an extra clove of garlic to the sauce.
- Low Carb: If you're watching your carb intake, you can replace the snow peas with low carb vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. You can saute them in the spicy sauce for a tasty and nutritious low carb meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This recipe is versatile and can accommodate any type of shrimp you have on hand. Just ensure that the shrimp is properly thawed before you start cooking.
If you don't have snow peas, you can use other green vegetables like broccoli or green beans. The key is to stir-fry them just enough to retain their crispness and vibrant color.
Yes, you can adjust the spiciness of the sauce to your taste. Simply reduce the amount of Sriracha chili sauce and red pepper flakes. Remember, it's easier to add more heat later than to try to remove it.
Shrimp cooks quickly and turns a pink color, and curls into a 'C' shape when it's done. Overcooking can make it tough, so it's best to remove it from the heat before it becomes a 'O' shape, which is how an overcooked shrimp would look.
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerating: If you have leftovers from this Asian shrimp recipe, store them in an airtightly sealed container in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to 2 days.
Reheating: To reheat, simply saute the shrimp dishes in a large skillet over medium high heat until they are warmed through. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp as they can become rubbery. Alternatively, you can also microwave this for a minute as well, stirring every few seconds to ensure even heating.
Freezing: Unfortunately, cooked shrimp does not freeze well as it tends to become tough and lose its flavor when thawed.
Recipes To Use Up Leftover Hoisin Sauce
More Asian Shrimp Recipes You May Like
- Chinese Stir-Fried Shrimp (Classic Ketchup Shrimp Recipe)
- Vietnamese Grilled Shrimp Vermicelli Noodle Bowl
- Chinese Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp
- Yum Woon Sen (Thai Glass Noodle Salad)
- Authentic Thai Tom Yum Soup (Classic Tom Yum Goong)
- Easy Authentic Pad Thai
- How to Make Wontons
- Easy Soondubu Jjigae Recipe (Spicy Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
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Recipe Card
Asian Chili Garlic Prawns with Snow Peas
Joyce's Recipe Notes
- Thaw Frozen Shrimp: If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they are thawed before using it. You can either leave it in the fridge for a few hours, or submerge it in cold water for 15 minutes. Also, consider leaving the skin on for extra flavor, but feel free to peel if you prefer.
- How To Tell If Shrimp Is Cooked: Depending on the size of the shrimp, it may take anywhere between 2-4 minutes to cook. For perfectly cooked shrimp, you want them to curl into a 'C' shape, and it should be an opaque white and pink color. If they turn into an 'O' shape, they may be overdone and rubbery.
Ingredients
- 20 shrimp (fresh or frozen - Thaw in warm water if it is frozen.)
- 1 lb snow peas
- 4-6 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil (any oil, except olive oil)
Spicy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine (or Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, white wine)
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, red pepper flakes)
Corn Starch Slurry (Sauce Thickener)
- 1-2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1-2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
Preparation
- Finely mince or grate 4-6 cloves garlic, and set it aside for later.
- If you are using frozen shrimp, soak them in cold water for 15-20 minutes until it has thawed. I personally like to keep the skin on my shrimp, but you can peel it once the shrimp has thawed. Set aside the shrimp once they are thawed.
- Wash the snow peas and cut of the tips that have a stem on it (if it isn't already removed for you). Set aside the snow peas once you are done.
Making the Spicy Sauce
- Mix 1-2 teaspoons corn starch with 1-2 tablespoons cold water and set aside
- Mix in 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional), 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine, and 3 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce together in a small bowl until everything is combined. Then pour in the cornstarch slurry from the step above into the sauce and mix everything together. Set aside
Putting it Together
- Set the stove to medium heat. Add a bit of oil into a frying pan and wait for it to get hot.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in 1 tablespoon butter and the minced garlic and toast it for a half a minute
- Add in the shrimp and cook it until it is pink (approximately 2-4 minutes). When the shrimp becomes a 'C' shape, it is fully cooked. If it becomes an 'O' shape it is overcooked and may be rubbery (but still tasty!).
- Add in the snow peas and cook it for 1 minute until it is vibrant green. Careful not to overcook it - we want it crisp!
- Add in the sauce and mix it around until it thickens (approximately 1-2 minutes)
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*
Disclaimer: As with most of my posts, I provide affiliate links to make items easier to find if you cannot purchase this locally. I do get a small commission from items purchased but I would never recommend anything I don’t own myself or
highly recommend, but I would prefer you buy your items locally to support your stores (and chances are they are cheaper locally!)
TERRY COURTNEY says
Joyce,
This recipe is the BOMB! I made it just like the recipe, (well I did add Shitake mushrooms).
Long ago I realized the secret to most, if not all dishes, no matter what cuisine, it is in the sauce. I could never get it right. Your sauce in this dish is exactly what I've been looking for in Asian dishes! It amazes me how simple it was to master but, thanks to you, here I am killing it!
By the way, it's not a big deal, but I left out 1 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine (or dry sherry or white wine) because it is missing in step 2. It probably makes a little difference, but it wasn't missed. I'll add it to step 2 for the future. Also, may I suggest that, as in step 4, you warn cook not to overcook shrimp (as I did) because the frozen shrimp that I used were already pink & I thought they needed to be opaque. They were good but turned out slightly rubbery. Newby error! My shrimp choice was good, however from past experience shell-on shrimp or Prawns deliver much more flavor. I'll try those next time. Kudos!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Terry!
I'm so happy you liked it!! haha!
Thanks for letting me know I missed adding in the cooking wine in the instructions! I have fixed it now. 😊
I also added more detailed information about how to know if your shrimp is cooked.
Thanks for all the suggestions! You're awesome!
Rachel says
This recipe is absolutely yummy!
It's quick and easy to make, and so good I'm making it again tonight!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Rachel!
Yay! I'm so happy you liked it!! I love how easy it is too! 😊
Constance L Lee says
Holy crap that was good!
Joyce Lee says
Hi Constance!
I'm so happy you liked it! haha! Thanks for coming back and sharing this with me! 😀
Esanford2 says
I made this tonight and it was as good as advertised! Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Joyce says
Hi Esanford2!
Woohoo! I'm happy you enjoyed this! Happy to share! 🙂
Corie Morris- Beavers says
Please inform me of any new upcoming events
Joyce says
Hi Corie!
If you subscribe to my newsletter (which comes in once a week if I have a new post) then you'll never miss a recipe! 🙂 You can use the subscribe box on the side bar on the right.
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
Great tips and this recipe definitely looks like a great way to get more veggies. I mean, I can't resist snow peas no matter what, but when they are bright green and covered with sauce even better. 🙂