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Aug 20, 2023

Singapore-Style Chili Garlic Shrimp and Rice

There are so many layers of flavor in the sauce for this Singapore-style chili garlic shrimp with rice. You won't want to miss a drop. 

Singapore-Style Chili Garlic Shrimp and Rice in a white bowl.


Serve this shrimp and its sauce over white rice and add a green salad or some green peas for a complete meal. 

You can make this shrimp dish in less than 30 minutes, from start to finish. In fact, if you prep the rice as well as the ingredients for the sauce in advance, you can have this dish on the table in 20 minutes. 

Ingredients:

Aromatics for the Sauce: Shallots, peeled and quartered, fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, lemon grass, tops and outer layers removed and then chopped, and garlic cloves, peeled. 

Ketchup: It adds a sweetness and tomato flavor to the sauce. It's a standard ingredient in some of the East meets West dishes from Singapore, especially Singapore Chilli Crab. 

Chili-Garlic Sauce: Two brands I've used and liked are Huy Fong and Dynasty

Fish Sauce: My favorite is Red Boat

Rice Vinegar: Be sure to use unseasoned. 

Shrimp: I used extra large shrimp. If you can find them, jumbo shrimp would be fabulous too. The secret to the richness of the sauce is that you also use some of the shrimp to puree with the sauce. 

Rice: I used Success White Rice, which is par-cooked and dried. To prepare it, you boil it in its bag for 8 minutes, drain it, and serve. Super easy. You could also use a package of pre-cooked rice that you heat in the microwave before fluffing and serving. 

Scallions: For garnish. 

Singapore-Style Chili Garlic Shrimp in a white bowl.


Equipment You Will Need: 

Food Processor: You will need this for chopping the aromatics as well as for pureeing the sauce. 

Mesh Strainer: For straining the solids from the cooked sauce. 

Pan: Either a 12-inch nonstick skillet, sauté pan, or a 14-inch well-seasoned wok. 

Two Medium Bowls: Have the bowls sitting to the side as you are preparing the shrimp and sauce. You'll need one for straining the sauce before returning it to the pan, and one for the cooked shrimp while you prep the sauce. 

Tips for Prepping in Advance:

Earlier in the day, you can process the shallots, ginger, lemon grass, and garlic cloves and set the mixer aside in the refrigerator. 

If you use unpeeled shrimp, be sure to buy an extra few ounces to account for the weight of the shells and tails. You can also peel them earlier in the day. 

You can also measure and mix the fish sauce, ketchup, chili-garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and water together and refrigerate the mixture earlier in the day. 

Two Bowls of Singapore-Style Chili Garlic Shrimp and Rice.


Be sure to watch the shrimp closely when cooking so that you don't overcook them. Remove them from the pan as soon as they are opaque. 

More Shrimp Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

Grilled Garlic Shrimp 

Shrimp in a Blanket

Shrimp Rémoulade

Moroccan Shrimp Tagine

Crispy Shrimp Tacos



From our Dinner Table Logo.


This week's theme is 30-Minute Meals. If you are looking for great dishes that you can prep and serve in 30 minutes, be sure to check out everyone's recipes. 


30 Minute Meals


We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

A great resource for more easy yet flavorful weeknight meals, check out the cookbook, Milk Street Tuesday Nights: More than 200 Simple Weeknight Suppers that Deliver Bold Flavor Fast. It's a gorgeous cookbook. I've bookmarked so many of the recipes. This recipe has been adapted from the book. 

They have also published a Mediterranian Tuesday Nights cookbook! 


Singapore-Style Chili Garlic Shrimp and Rice in a white bowl.



Singapore-Style Chili-Garlic Shrimp

Singapore-Style Chili-Garlic Shrimp
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
There are so many layers of flavor in the sauce for this Singapore-style chili garlic shrimp with rice. You won't want to miss a drop.

Ingredients

  • 4 large shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 inch stem of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • Bottom six inches of a stalk of lemon grass, outer dry layers removed, and chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 6 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
  • 6 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/4 pounds peeled and deveined raw shrimp, divided (purchase an extra 1/4 to 1/2 pound of shrimp if you are peeling and removing the tails of the shrimp yourself)
  • 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Place the shallots, ginger, lemon grass, and garlic into a food processor and process for about 15 to 20 seconds. Scrape the mixture out of the bowl into a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Wipe out the food processor and add the ketchup, fish sauce, chili-garlic sauce, rice vinegar, and water, along with 4 ounces of the shrimp (about 6 shrimp). Process until the mixture is smooth, approximately 20 to 30 seconds.
  3. Heat your 12-inch non stick pan or 14-inch wok over medium high heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Pat the shrimp dry and add half of it to the pan in a single layer. Cook them without stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook them, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds until opaque and then transfer them to a medium bowl. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the rest of the shrimp. Set the bowl of shrimp aside.
  4. Next, in the same pan, add the last tablespoon of oil. When the oil is heated, add the pureed shallot mixture to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits. Pour the ketchup mixture into the pan, bring it to a simmer, and cook everything together, stirring regularly, for about three minutes.
  5. Pour the cooked sauce from the pan into a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and strain out the solids. Press the back of a large spoon against the solids to extract as much liquid as possible from the solids. Discard the solids and pour the liquid back into the pan, and pour any liquid that is sitting in the bowl with the shrimp into the pan as well.
  6. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook over medium high heat for about one to two minutes. Remove from the heat and add all of the shrimp in the bowl back into the pan and stir.
  7. Serve with rice and sprinkle with the sliced scallions.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

268

Fat (grams)

12 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

2 g

Carbs (grams)

18 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

16 g

Sugar (grams)

10 g

Protein (grams)

21 g

Cholesterol (grams)

179 mg
shrimp, 30-minute meals
Main dish
Singapore
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Would you like to comment?

  1. I definitely will be making this. I'll have to cut back some on the ginger for family members but I can't wait to try this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My family would love this--and I love how quick and easy it is!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shrimp are always a favorite for quick dinner. They cook quick and oh so versatile. This looks and sounds so delicious! I'm adding it to my weeknight menu. Can't wait to try it!

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