Contains:

Shellfish Soy Gluten

Schezwan Prawns

Name: Schezwan Prawns
Prep time: 6 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indo-Chinese
Ingredients: 400 g King prawns; 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 8 cloves Garlic; 1.5 inch Ginger; 4 Green chillies; 4 stalks Spring onions; 1 medium Onion; 1 medium Capsicum; 30 ml Soy sauce; 15 ml Dark soy sauce; 15 ml Rice vinegar; 15 ml Chilli sauce; 1 tsp Sesame oil; 0.5 tsp White pepper; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine; 45 ml Neutral oil

The 20-Minute Sizzle

Fiery restaurant-style Schezwan prawns with plump, juicy king prawns in a pungent chilli garlic sauce. High-heat wok cooking delivers maximum wok hei in minimal time. The first seafood recipe to master.

Minutes

Servings

🌶️🌶️

Spicy

Spice Level

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Recipe Details

Total Time

20 min

Spice Level

Medium

Texture

Crispy

Wok Heat

High Heat

Protein

28g

Servings

Equipment

wok

Ingredients

400 g

King prawns

raw, peeled and deveined, tail-on preferred

2 tbsp

Kashmiri chilli powder

the no-blend paste hack

8 cloves

Garlic

finely minced

1.5 inch

Ginger

finely minced

Green chillies

slit lengthwise

4 stalks

Spring onions

whites and greens separated, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium

Onion

cut into chunky squares

1 medium

Capsicum

cut into 1-inch squares

30 ml

Soy sauce

light soy

15 ml

Dark soy sauce

for color and depth

15 ml

Rice vinegar

15 ml

Chilli sauce

Sriracha or similar

1 tsp

Sesame oil

for finishing

0.5 tsp

White pepper

1 tsp

Sugar

1 tbsp

Cornstarch

for velveting the prawns

1 tbsp

Shaoxing rice wine

or dry sherry

45 ml

Neutral oil

for high-heat wok cooking

Why It's Better At Home

Fresh Garlic & Ginger Heart-healthy compounds in every bite
You Control Everything Oil, salt, spice - exactly how you like it
No Hidden Ingredients No MSG, no mystery sauces, no preservatives
High in Vitamin C Bell peppers packed with nutrients
72% Cheaper Than Takeaway £3.91/serving vs £13.95 average

Research shows home cooking is associated with better diet quality and lower calorie intake. Learn more

Instructions

1. Prep the Prawns

2 min

Pat prawns completely dry with kitchen paper. Toss with cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and Shaoxing wine. Set aside for 5 minutes while you prep aromatics. This velveting step ensures juicy, tender prawns.

💡

Pro Tip

Dry prawns = better sear. Wet prawns steam and turn rubbery

2. Make the Instant Schezwan Paste

1 min

In a small bowl, mix Kashmiri chilli powder with 3 tbsp water to form a thick, smooth paste. This is your 30-second Schezwan paste—no blender, no bottled sauce required.

💡

Pro Tip

Kashmiri chilli gives color without nuclear heat

3. Build the Sauce

1 min

In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli sauce, white pepper, sugar, and 2 tbsp water. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Set within arm's reach of the wok.

4. Sear the Prawns

2 min

Heat wok over maximum heat until smoking. Add 2 tbsp oil, swirl to coat. Add prawns in a single layer. Do not move for 45 seconds until edges turn pink and bottoms char slightly. Flip and cook 30 seconds more. Remove immediately—prawns will finish in the sauce.

💡

Pro Tip

Prawns cook fast. Pull them at 80% done—they'll carry over

5. Fire the Aromatics

1 min

Add remaining oil to the hot wok. Add garlic, ginger, green chillies, and spring onion whites. Stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant but not brown.

💡

Pro Tip

Garlic burns in seconds—keep it moving

6. Add the Schezwan Paste

1 min

Add your instant Schezwan paste to the aromatics. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. The paste should darken and release its pungent, smoky aroma. This is the flavor base.

💡

Pro Tip

Don't burn it—keep it moving constantly

7. Flash the Vegetables

1 min

Add onion and capsicum. Stir-fry on high heat for 60 seconds. Vegetables should be slightly charred on edges but still crisp.

💡

Pro Tip

High heat, constant motion, crunchy vegetables

8. Bring It Together

1 min

Return prawns to the wok. Pour in the sauce mixture. Toss vigorously on high heat for 60 seconds until prawns are coated in glossy, clinging sauce and fully cooked through.

💡

Pro Tip

Prawns are done when they curl into a loose C shape—tight curls mean overcooked

9. Finish

1 min

Remove from heat. Drizzle sesame oil. Add spring onion greens. One final toss. Serve immediately while the wok hei is still smoking.

🔥 🥢 🔥

Wok Hei Achieved!

Schezwan Prawns is ready to devour

Use ← → arrow keys or 1-9 to navigate

Prep the Prawns

2 min

Pro Tip

Dry prawns = better sear. Wet prawns steam and turn rubbery

Make the Instant Schezwan Paste

1 min

In a small bowl, mix Kashmiri chilli powder with 3 tbsp water to form a thick, smooth paste. This is your 30-second Schezwan paste—no blender, no bottled sauce required.

Pro Tip

Kashmiri chilli gives color without nuclear heat

Build the Sauce

1 min

In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli sauce, white pepper, sugar, and 2 tbsp water. Whisk until sugar dissolves. Set within arm's reach of the wok.

Sear the Prawns

2 min

Pro Tip

Prawns cook fast. Pull them at 80% done—they'll carry over

Fire the Aromatics

1 min

Add remaining oil to the hot wok. Add garlic, ginger, green chillies, and spring onion whites. Stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant but not brown.

Pro Tip

Garlic burns in seconds—keep it moving

Add the Schezwan Paste

1 min

Add your instant Schezwan paste to the aromatics. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. The paste should darken and release its pungent, smoky aroma. This is the flavor base.

Pro Tip

Don't burn it—keep it moving constantly

Flash the Vegetables

1 min

Add onion and capsicum. Stir-fry on high heat for 60 seconds. Vegetables should be slightly charred on edges but still crisp.

Pro Tip

High heat, constant motion, crunchy vegetables

Bring It Together

1 min

Return prawns to the wok. Pour in the sauce mixture. Toss vigorously on high heat for 60 seconds until prawns are coated in glossy, clinging sauce and fully cooked through.

Pro Tip

Prawns are done when they curl into a loose C shape—tight curls mean overcooked

Finish

1 min

Remove from heat. Drizzle sesame oil. Add spring onion greens. One final toss. Serve immediately while the wok hei is still smoking.

Nutrition Per Serving

295

Calories

28g

Protein

14g

Carbs

15g

Fat

Why Cook This at Home?

Stop Overpaying for Takeaway

See exactly how much you save cooking at home. Real prices from UK supermarkets, compared fairly per serving.

Home Made

£3.91

per serving

(2 servings = £7.82)

Takeaway

£13.95

per serving

(1 portion via JustEat)

You Save

£10.04

per serving

72% cheaper

💰

Save Money

The numbers don't lie. Home cooking costs a fraction of delivery fees and restaurant markups.

⭐

Better Quality

You choose your ingredients. Quality meat, fresh vegetables, no mystery sauces.

🔒

Total Control

Your kitchen, your rules. Hygiene standards, spice levels, portion sizes you decide.

View ingredient breakdown

King prawns 400g (raw, peeled) £6.00 (Tesco)

Capsicum, onion, spring onions £0.95 (Tesco)

Garlic, ginger, green chillies £0.42 (Tesco)

Soy sauce, chilli powder, vinegar, seasonings £0.45 (Tesco)

Total £7.82

The Philosophy

Schezwan Prawns is where Indo-Chinese meets the sea. This dish demands respect for two things: the fierce, pungent Schezwan sauce and the delicate nature of prawns. Get the timing wrong and you’ll have rubbery seafood drowning in oil. Get it right and you’ll have plump, juicy prawns coated in a glossy, fiery sauce that rivals any restaurant.

This is the first seafood recipe on the site, and it teaches the most important lesson in prawn cookery: less is more. Prawns go from perfect to overcooked in seconds. The velveting technique and strategic timing are your insurance policy.

The Prawn Protocol

Buying Prawns:

Raw over cooked: Always buy raw prawns. Pre-cooked prawns turn rubbery when stir-fried.
Size matters: King prawns (16-20 count) or tiger prawns work best. They hold up to high heat and have meaty bite.
Fresh or frozen: Both work. Good frozen prawns (IQF - individually quick frozen) are often fresher than “fresh” supermarket prawns that have been sitting for days.
Tail-on preferred: The tail acts as a handle and adds visual appeal. Shell-on is even better for serious cooks.

Prep is Everything:

Devein: That dark line is the intestinal tract. Remove it by making a shallow cut along the back and pulling it out.
Dry completely: This is non-negotiable. Wet prawns steam instead of sear, resulting in rubbery texture and no wok hei.
Velvet: The cornstarch and wine coating protects the prawn and creates a silky texture.

The Velveting Technique

Restaurant prawns have that silky, slightly bouncy texture home cooks struggle to replicate. The secret is velveting—a Chinese technique that creates a protective barrier around the protein.

Our simplified velvet:

Pat prawns bone-dry
Toss with cornstarch, salt, and Shaoxing wine
Rest for 5 minutes

The cornstarch creates a thin coating that prevents moisture loss. The wine adds flavour and helps the coating adhere. The result: prawns that stay juicy even at screaming-hot wok temperatures.

The No-Blend Schezwan Paste Hack

Traditional Schezwan sauce requires:

Soaking dried red chillies
Blending with garlic, ginger, oil
Cooking down for 15-20 minutes

Our hack: Kashmiri chilli powder + water = instant paste with:

Same vibrant red color
Comparable heat level
30 seconds instead of 30 minutes
No blender cleanup

The Kashmiri chilli is key—it delivers the signature deep red colour without nuclear heat. Combined with the fresh garlic and ginger in the wok, you get all the pungency of traditional Schezwan sauce.

Common Mistakes

Overcooking prawns: The number one error. Pull them when they’re 80% done—carryover heat does the rest.
Wet prawns: Moisture = steam = rubber. Pat them dry obsessively.
Crowded wok: Cook prawns in a single layer. Overlapping prawns steam instead of sear.
Wrong heat: If your wok isn’t smoking, it’s not hot enough. Schezwan prawns demand maximum heat.
Too much sauce: This isn’t a curry. The sauce should cling and glaze, not pool.

The Curl Test

Prawns tell you when they’re done:

Straight or barely curved: Raw, needs more time
Loose C shape: Perfect, juicy, pull them now
Tight O shape: Overcooked, rubbery, lesson learned

When you see that loose C forming, you have about 10 seconds to get those prawns out of the heat. Don’t hesitate.

Air Fryer Alternative

If you want to reduce oil, you can pre-cook the prawns in an air fryer:

Toss velveted prawns with 1 tsp oil
Air fry at 200C for 4 minutes, shaking once
Proceed with recipe from Step 5, adding air-fried prawns in Step 8

Note: This method is convenient but won’t achieve true wok hei on the prawns themselves.

Variations

Schezwan Prawns Dry: Skip the sauce entirely. After searing prawns, toss with Schezwan paste, salt, and spring onions. Serve as a starter.
Honey Schezwan Prawns: Add 1 tbsp honey to the sauce for a sweet-heat balance.
Schezwan Prawn Fried Rice: Chop cooked Schezwan prawns and fold into our Schezwan Fried Rice recipe.
Extra Vegetables: Add baby corn and mushrooms with the capsicum.
Double Protein: Add 200g of paneer cubes for a surf-and-turf Indo-Chinese combo.

Serving Suggestions

Classic: With steamed jasmine rice to absorb the sauce
Indo-Chinese Feast: Alongside Hakka Noodles and Gobi Manchurian
Low-Carb: In lettuce cups with extra spring onions
Date Night: Pair with Hot and Sour Soup to start

Wine & Beer Pairing

The fiery, pungent nature of Schezwan prawns calls for:

Beer: Cold lager (Kingfisher, Asahi) cuts through the heat
Wine: Off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer balances the spice
Non-alcoholic: Iced chrysanthemum tea or coconut water

Storage & Reheating

Fridge: 1-2 days maximum (seafood doesn’t keep as long as meat)
Reheat: Wok over high heat for 90 seconds. Add a splash of water to revive the sauce.
Never: Microwave. Turns prawns rubbery instantly.
Freezing: Not recommended. Prawn texture degrades significantly after freezing when already cooked.