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Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns (Shrimp)

By:Nagi
266 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A quick prawn recipe loaded with BIG flavours! Seared prawns smothered in a spicy, sticky Asian sauce, these Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns will have you smacking your lips in utter satisfaction, feeling like you’ve just dined at a fancy modern Thai restaurant.

The sauce tastes like a homemade Chilli Jam except it’s far easier to make. 15 minutes, start to finish!

Close up of Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns served over rice with a quick Asian cucumber side salad

Quick prawn recipe with BIG flavours!

While I love a classic Chinese-style prawn stir fry with its clean and steady flavours, or the heart-stopping (in more ways than one) fried and sweet deliciousness of Honey Prawns, sometimes I find myself looking for a punch in the face (flavour-wise, that is!)

This prawn recipe came to be after I had a terrific Stir Fried Prawns in Chilli Jam at a modern(ish) Thai Restaurant. While I can’t replicate desserts at home on a whim, I usually have a fair chance of getting pretty close with savoury dishes.

I was going to try to replicate it using a homemade Chilli Jam recipe, but then I got lazy. Instead, I tried to achieve the same flavours using a little bit of this, a little bit of that, a dash of this and a splash of that.

And well, well, well, what do you know? It came out darn delicious. Really, really tasty and pretty close to making this with a homemade Chilli Jam, but just a whole lot easier and faster. 🙂

Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns - Juicy prawns in a sweet, sticky, spicy, garlicky sauce. Dinner on the table in 10 minutes! www.recipetineats.com

Chilli Garlic Prawns on a plate, ready to be served

The sauce is essentially a quick and easy Chilli Jam – and it’s lip smackingly delish!

I promise I’m not exaggerating when I say that this really does taste like Spicy Stir Fries you get from modern Asian restaurants. I don’t claim this to be authentic Asian because it probably isn’t an authentic Asian stir fry but every ingredient in the sauce is certainly used in many Asian dishes!

Ingredients for Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns (Shrimp) recipe

A 12 minute recipe

There’s nothing more disappointing that shoving a big, plump, juicy-looking prawn in your mouth only to find it’s rubbery and dry.

So in my world, every prawn recipe has to be a quick recipe because otherwise you’ll overcook the prawn! And these Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns certainly fit the bill. Here’s how it goes down:

  • Chop / grate the ginger and garlic, measure out the sauce ingredients – 5 minutes

  • Sear prawns in 2 batches – 4 minutes

  • Simmer sauce until syrupy – 2 minutes

  • Toss prawns back in – 1 minute

  • Total time – 12 minutes 🙌🏻

TIP: get the rice started first, because that takes longer than this recipe!

How to make Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns (Shrimp)

Close up of sticky Asian spicy garlic shrimp

Frozen prawns – all the way!

For the first couple of years when I started this website, I was a total prawn snob and urged everyone to peel their own prawns, declaring that frozen was just not the same. This conclusion was drawn from many years of mediocre frozen prawn experiences in my youth.

It’s been a very pleasant discovery to find that frozen prawns have come a long way in their time! Sure, some are better than others, but even the budget ones (eg Aldi, Costco) are still very good.

I still peel fresh prawns for company. But for everyday purposes, I’m all about frozen prawns nowadays – and I totally own it!

Prawn recipe with Thai Chilli Jam

What to serve on the side

Serve with rice to soak up that glorious sauce. Or for a healthy low carb option try Cauliflower Rice – 77% fewer calories and 87% less carbs than rice!

Add some greens to your meal – here are a few suggestions:

Enjoy!  – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Close up of sticky Asian spicy garlic shrimp

Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns (Shrimp)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Dinner
Asian, Thai
4.92 from 97 votes
Servings3 - 4 people
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Recipe video above. Juicy prawns / shrimp in a sweet sticky, spicy, garlicky sauce. A quick dinner that tastes like a homemade Chilli Jam stir fry you get at modern Thai restaurants! Spice level - this is quite spicy!

Ingredients

  • 500g / 1 lb prawns / shrimp, raw, , peeled and deveined (Note 1)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 2)
  • 3 garlic cloves , very finely minced
  • 2 tsp ginger , grated or finely chopped (can be omitted)
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes* (Note 3)
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
  • 3 tbsp Sriracha (Note 4)
  • 2 tsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (Note 5)
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar (sub with white)

Garnish (optional)

  • Sesame seeds
  • Green onions , finely sliced
  • Red chillies , finely sliced or chopped

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the prawns and sear for about 45 seconds on each side until golden, then remove into bowl. Repeat.
  • Remove skillet from stove to cool down slightly, turn down to medium.
  • Return skillet to stove, heat sesame oil. 
  • Add garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Cook until garlic turns golden.
  • Add water, then Sriracha, soy sauce and sugar, Stir, increase heat to medium high, and let it simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken to a thin syrup consistency.
  • Return prawns into skillet and toss to coat in sauce and reheat, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until sauce is reduced and coats the prawns nicely.
  • Garnish with sesame seeds, fresh chilli and shallots if desired. Serve with rice to soak up the awesome sauce! (Low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice) Side salad suggestions in post.

Recipe Notes:

?SPICINESS - Adjust spiciness to taste with chilli flakes not Sriracha because the sauce needs the vinegar in the Sriracha.
NON SPICY version- skip the chilli flakes and sriracha, add 2 tbsp ketchup + 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or even cider vinegar!) + 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) OR Mirin (reduce sugar by 0.5 tbsp) OR 2 tbsp chicken broth low sodium. Yes we need all these to make up for skipping the sriracha!
1. Prawns/shrimp - if using frozen (which I do), thaw completely and pat with paper towels to remove excess water. The prawns are raw, they might look cooked because they're a pink variety!
2. Toasted Sesame Oil is brown and has a stronger sesame flavour than untoasted sesame oil which is yellow. Here in Australia, toasted is the norm - it is harder to find untoasted. Will work fine with untoasted sesame oil, just slightly less sesame flavour!
3. Chilli flakes - also known as Red Pepper Flakes. You could also use a jar of minced chilli or chilli paste but do not try to saute it with the garlic because it will spit everywhere! Stir it in when you add the water. 
4. Sriracha is an Asian chilli sauce that is made with more than just chilli, it has flavourings. It is now common in most supermarkets in Australia, US, Canada and UK. Here is the one I use from Woolworths. 
SUBS: Another hot or chilli sauce with a similar consistency (a ketchup thickness). For a thinner stronger hot sauce like Franks, I'd probably use half Franks, half ketchup then add more Franks after tasting the sauce once reduced. 🙂
5. How to tell if prawns are cooked: Raw prawns hang straight by the trail, perfectly cooked prawns form a "C" and overcooked prawns will curl into a tight "O". Overcooked prawns have a rubbery texture and are not nice - so don't do it! 🙂
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings. I think this makes enough for 3 as a meal, though can stretch to 4.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 194gCalories: 410cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 20g (7%)Protein: 52g (104%)Fat: 12g (18%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 630mg (210%)Sodium: 2802mg (122%)Potassium: 270mg (8%)Sugar: 17g (19%)Vitamin A: 30IU (1%)Vitamin C: 26.2mg (32%)Calcium: 386mg (39%)Iron: 5.7mg (32%)
Keywords: Asian Chilli Garlic Shrimp, Chilli Garlic Prawns, Prawn recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published July 2016. Rewritten in May 2019, new photos, brand new video, and new Life of Dozer photos!

Life of Dozer

Another snap from the Mother’s Day weekend away to Rick Stein’s Bannisters Hotel in Port Stephens.

Contemplating the meaning of life as he gazes at the sun rise over the infinity pool….

OK, we all know that’s not true. He’s more likely wondering how much trouble he’d get in if he dove in. I don’t think the other hotel guests would appreciate swimming in a sea of Dozer’s golden fur! 😂

Dozer Bannisters Port Stephens May 2019

And from the original publish date in 2016: The vet said to figure out a way to stop him from licking his injured paw. So I did. 😉

Dozer-injured

If you enjoyed my Asian Chilli Garlic Prawns (Shrimp), I think you’ll LOVE……

My Mongolian Beef – crispy beef tossed in a fabulous sticky sauce!

Crispy Sticky Mongolian Beef - PF Chang's copycat, done right! Less oil, all the flavor and not stickly sweet. Easy!

My Asian Glazed Salmon with a glorious sticky glaze!

Asian Glazed Salmon | Made this last week, super for a quick midweek meal, INCREDIBLE flavour with just 5 ingredients! www.recipetineats.com

Or to serve on the side, how about Chinese Fried Rice?

Chinese Fried Rice - A recipe for those who want Chinese Fried Rice that really does taste like what you get at restaurants..

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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266 Comments

    • Nagi says

      Hi Leila – be sure to cook the sauce down a fair bit before adding the prawns. Also if your prawns were frozen or contain more water than normal, you can remove them once they are cooked and reduce the sauce a bit further until it thickens. N x

      Reply

  3. Tanya says

    Love this recipe! Simple to make, I substitute the sugar with xylitol to make it keto friendly and tastes amazing!

    Reply

  4. Tom says

    5 stars
    Made this recipe. It was incredible! Took me slightly more than the allotted fifteen minutes, but by no means a long time. Will be cooking this again and recommending to my friends.

    Reply

  6. Joanne Willoughby says

    5 stars
    This is really quick and easy to make and super delicious. Served it as you did with the smashed cucumber (really refreshing) and rice. This is a keeper for sure!

    Reply

  7. Loretta Monkres says

    This sauce was phenomenal! Didn’t have fresh ginger on hand so mixed dried ground ginger in to the liquids and let it dissolve!
    Will definitely make again 😁

    Reply

  8. Terri says

    5 stars
    This was amazing, So quick and easy. Stuck to the recipe almost 100%, just added a little fish sauce as I felt it needed it and because I love it!
    Served with jasmine rice and a cucumber salad dressed with the Asian Sesame Dressing. Husband said it was better than takeaway!

    Reply

  9. Dorothy says

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and super easy! We added extra chilli flakes because we like spice and used a little powdered ginger because We didn’t have fresh. We will definitely make this again!

    Reply

  10. Kathi says

    Made the garlic spicy prawns today and served it on romaine lettuce leaves. This was so good!! I’m sure better with rice but lettuce was good.

    Reply

  11. Nina Kurta says

    Hi Nagi, can you please tell me is the prawn amounting the recipe before peeling or after? I have a kilo of raw unpeeled prawns and I’m trying to figure out how many serves that is?

    Reply

  13. Catherine says

    5 stars
    I made the non-spicy version of this (ketchup/rice vinegar/shaoxing wine) tonight and thought it was great! Most importantly, it was a hit with my 2yo! I only used 1/4 cup of water and 1.5 tbl of sugar. I also added some arrowroot powder to my shrimp so the sauce thickened quickly when I added them back to the pan. Also added peas at the end. Will def keep this in our dinner rotation!

    Reply

  16. Margaret says

    5 stars
    An absolute stunner – prawns were cooked to perfection (and I have struggled with cooking prawns in the past) added udon noodles at the end instead of rice – my husband and I were sopping up the sauce with garlic toast x

    Reply

  17. Steve says

    Excellent.dish!. Using your ingredients and percentages, plus a bit of pistachio, dinner was a huge hit. My veg was broccol.i and caulifor. Thanks so much.

    Reply
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