Kkanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

Step 1

Clean the shrimp, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit until ready to coat with the batter.

Step 2

Prepare the vegetables.

Step 3

In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients, except the sesame oil, well until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 4

Add the starch and egg to the bowl with the shrimp. Mix everything well by hand until there's no visible starch powder and the shrimp is evenly coated with the batter.

Step 5

Add 4 cups of oil to a deep fryer, wok, or large pot. Heat over high heat to 340°F or until a drop of batter in the oil moderately bubbles up to the surface. Using metal tongs or chopsticks, drop the shrimp in the oil one at a time, in two batches. Cook until lightly golden, about a minute.

Step 6

Remove them quickly with a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer set on a bowl. Reheat the oil to 340°F between the batches and for the second frying.

Step 7

Add the shrimp (you can do this in one batch for the second frying) and briefly deep fry again until lightly golden brown. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer.

Step 8

In a large pan or wok, add the dried pepper and 3 tablespoons of deep-frying oil over low heat until the oil starts to turn red. This only takes a few seconds. Do not burn the peppers.

Step 9

Turn up the heat to high. Add the garlic, ginger, onion, and scallion, and stir fry briefly until fragrant. Stir in the green chili pepper and red bell (or chili) pepper, and cook for an additional minute or two.

Step 10

Add the sauce, and boil for a couple of minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Step 11

Drop the shrimp into the pan, and quickly stir everything together until the sauce is almost absorbed. Drizzle the sesame oil, and toss everything together again. Serve immediately.