Sweet and sour shrimps with ginger, bell pepper and pineapple
4 servings
45 minutes
Sweet and sour shrimp with ginger, bell peppers, and pineapples is a vibrant and rich dish from Chinese cuisine that wonderfully combines the freshness of seafood with exotic notes of fruits and spices. The history of this recipe traces back to Chinese restaurants where sweet and sour dishes became a hallmark due to their balance of flavors and textures. Crispy shrimp caramelized in a light sauce with hints of ginger, garlic, and pepper reveal a deep aroma while pineapple adds refreshing sweetness. This dish is perfect for an Eastern-style dinner, especially when paired with rice that absorbs the sauce and enhances the flavor even more. Serving a hot portion with thin slices of green onion adds freshness, creating a sense of restaurant elegance right at home.
1
Finely chop the vegetables: bell pepper, onion, and green onion into small pieces (about 2 cm), carrot (medium size) into thin rounds, a small piece of ginger (2 cm) into matchstick-sized strips. Mince the garlic with a knife or garlic press. Peel and finely chop the pineapple (into 2 cm pieces).
- Red sweet pepper: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 head
- Green onions: 4 pieces
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Fresh ginger: 1 piece
- Garlic: 3 cloves
- Pineapple: 700 g
2
Mix sherry with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Pour this mixture over the shrimp, mix well, and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Sherry: 1 tablespoon
- Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
- Peeled king prawns: 500 g
3
While the shrimp is marinating, mix soy sauce (2 tablespoons) in 1 cup of water, add sugar, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Water: 1 glass
- Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
- Red wine vinegar: 0.3 glass
- Salt: to taste
4
Pour corn starch into a shallow bowl. Transfer the shrimp into it, draining all the liquid first. Coat the shrimp thoroughly in the starch.
- Cornstarch: 0.3 glass
- Peeled king prawns: 500 g
5
In a 25 cm diameter pan or heavy pot, heat 1/3 cup of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the oil boils, add the shrimp and fry until golden brown. It's better to cook in two batches (about 2 minutes each). After frying, place the shrimp on a clean plate.
- Vegetable oil: 0.5 glass
- Peeled king prawns: 500 g
6
In the same pan with boiling oil, add bell pepper and onion, sauté for 3 minutes, and transfer to the plate with shrimp. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, add carrot and pineapple. Cook for 2 minutes and transfer to the plate with shrimp. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, add ginger, green onion, garlic, sauté for 1 minute, and transfer to the shrimp.
- Red sweet pepper: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 head
- Vegetable oil: 0.5 glass
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Pineapple: 700 g
- Green onions: 4 pieces
- Fresh ginger: 1 piece
- Garlic: 3 cloves
7
Pour the prepared vinegar sauce with oil into a saucepan. When the liquid boils, add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water, stir, and cook for another minute.
- Red wine vinegar: 0.3 glass
- Cornstarch: 0.3 glass
8
Add shrimp, vegetables, and pineapples to the thickened sauce. Stir actively and wait for the oil to boil again, then leave for another minute.
- Peeled king prawns: 500 g
- Red sweet pepper: 1 piece
- Onion: 1 head
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Pineapple: 700 g
9
Serve the shrimp hot with boiled rice.