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Longjing shrimp
龙井虾仁 lóngjǐng xiārén — Hangzhou river shrimp stir-fried with fresh Longjing green tea
Spring in Hangzhou means new-season Longjing tea from the hills west of the city, and restaurants celebrate it by tossing tiny, pearly river shrimp with the tender tea leaves and a splash of their brew. The result is very delicate: sweet, springy shrimp, a faint grassy and chestnut aroma from the tea, and no heavy sauce at all. It is usually one dish among several at a family meal, eaten with rice. Small raw prawns are the easiest home swap for river shrimp. Chef's tip: brew the tea with water at about 80 °C, never straight from the boil, which makes the leaves bitter.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 14 oz small raw shrimppeeled and deveined, defrosted if frozen
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- ¼ cup hot waterabout 80 °C
- 4 ¼ cups waterfor blanching
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wineor the same amount of chicken stock with 1 tsp rice vinegar (alcohol-free)
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Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Pat 14 oz small raw shrimp very dry with kitchen paper. Mix with ½ tsp salt, 1 egg white and 1 tbsp cornflour and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes; this coating keeps them juicy.
10 minStep 2: Meanwhile pour ¼ cup hot water over 2 tsp Longjing green tea leaves in a cup and leave for 2 minutes. Strain, keeping the tea and the softened leaves separately.
2 minStep 3: Bring 4 ¼ cups water to the boil, add a few drops of the oil, then slide in the shrimp and stir gently for 40–60 seconds, until they turn pink at the edges but are still slightly translucent in the middle. Drain.
1 minStep 4: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the shrimp and toss for 1 minute, until pink and opaque all the way through and just firm.
1 minStep 5: Add the tea leaves and 2 tbsp of the brewed tea, then splash 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine around the side of the wok. Toss for 20 seconds and serve at once. Don't cook the shrimp any longer: they turn rubbery within a minute.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does longjing shrimp take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 12 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
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