Spicy Gochujang King Prawn Stir Fry
Gochujang king prawn stir-fry is a quick and easy recipe that plays with Korean store cupboard ingredients to create a delicious spicy meal.
Despite taking just a shade over 20 minutes to cook and prepare, this recipe rocks big, bold and complex flavours.
Gochujang Shrimp Stir Fry
It's hard to beat prawns as the centrepiece of a quick and easy meal. I use them all of the time with a host of global flavours.
Everything from my quick Indian prawn curry, Greek prawn saganaki and Chinese salt and pepper prawns, to name a few, feature on my website.
This time out, I am playing with some loose Korean influences in a quick and simple gochujang king prawn stir fry.
Spicy Korean gochujang paste is joined by ginger, mirin, fish sauce and spring onions. Honey adds a lovely mellow sweetness to the recipe, which is rounded out by sesame oil and white pepper.
It comes together in a little over 20 minutes, and almost all of that time is in the preparation.
Cooking takes just 5 or 6 minutes, and it tastes fantastic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does gochujang taste like?
Gochujang has a really complex flavour profile, with sweet, salty, earthy and wonderfully savoury tones.
It also packs a more than modest punch of chilli heat, and it is delicious.
Do I have to defrost the prawns?
Whilst you can cook prawns from frozen, I very much prefer not to.
The timings for this recipe are designed for defrosted prawns.
Is there a substitution for mirin?
I would use Chinese or Japanese rice vinegar with a good pinch of sugar. Be sure to whisk it until the sugar has dissolved.
Can I use soy sauce instead of fish sauce?
Yes, so long as you use light soy sauce, and even then you will be losing some of the flavour that you can only get from fish sauce.
Do I have to use MSG?
No, but this recipe is very much better with it added!
Can I make this in advance?
No, this recipe is not well suited to cooling and reheating because the prawns will become very chewy.
Serving Suggestions
I've served my spicy gochujang prawn stir fry with some simple cooked black jasmine rice (forbidden rice).
The nutty flavours complement the sweet and earthy flavours; it also looks spectacular 😉
It does take about half an hour to cook, though. If you want something quicker, then regular jasmine rice is perfectly good.
Sticking with a Korean vibe, this Korean carrot salad works wonderfully.
If you're happy to be a little bit more fluid, how about some plain chow mein noodles?
Equipment Used
I only name-check specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Wok.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Mixing bowl.
- Sieve or colander (if you need to defrost the prawns.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Weighing scales and measuring spoons.
Spicy Gochujang King Prawn Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g Large Prawns 12oz
- 35 g Ginger 1 thumb sized piece
- 50 g Gochujang Paste 3 tablespoon
- 20 g Honey 1 tablespoon
- 1½ tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
- ⅛ teaspoon White Pepper
- 1 Pinch MSG
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 4 Spring Onions
Instructions
- If your prawns are frozen, place them in a colander or sieve and run them under cold water until they are defrosted.
- Peel the ginger and cut it into thin batons.
- Mix the gochujang paste with the honey, fish sauce, mirin, sesame oil, white pepper and MSG.
- Cut the white part of the spring onions into 2cm (¾") long pieces and finely slice the green part of the spring onions, keeping these separate.
- Heat a wok over a high heat, and when it is hot, add the oil, followed by the white part of the spring onions and the ginger batons.Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Throw in the prawns and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the sauce and cook for another 60-90 seconds.
- Serve sprinkled with the green part of the spring onions.
