Mongolian Shrimp

This Mongolian shrimp recipe is a scrumptious combination of succulent shrimp (prawns) coated in light crispy batter, stir-fried with a sweet and savoury Asian sauce, and garnished with a sprinkle of green onions and sesame seeds. This seafood version of the classic Chinese dish is so easy to make that even a novice cook can whip it up in no time. This recipe is gluten-free with paleo-friendly swaps.

What Is Mongolian Shrimp?

You might be familiar with Mongolian lamb or beef from takeout menus and your favourite Asian restaurants. Despite its name, Mongolian anything is not a traditional Mongolian dish but rather a creation of Chinese-American cuisine.

This Mongolian shrimp is a seafood version of this popular Asian dish. It’s made with succulent shrimp that’s been coated in egg white and starch, shallow fried and coated in a delicious, sticky sweet and savoury sauce. It has bold flavours and just enough crunch to make it totally irresistible.

Mongolian Sauce

Whether you use shrimp, beef, chicken or tofu to make this recipe, the star of the dish is the sauce. In almost all recipes, the Mongolian sauce consists of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and sometimes chili flakes or Sriracha for a spicy kick. It can be used in a stir-fry with protein, vegetables or tossed through noodles.

There are variations to this sauce and my version uses honey instead of brown sugar. I also coat the shrimp in tapioca flour (you can use cornstarch too) so it’s gluten-free and/or grain-free.

Ingredients For Mongolian Shrimp

Shrimp: In Australia, we refer to shrimp as prawns but I am sticking with shrimp as the name as it’s so commonly used by my readers. I recommend large shrimp, the bigger the better. Get deveined and de-shelled shrimp to save yourself on prep time, otherwise, you will need to peel it first. You can also use frozen shrimp and defrost it in warm water for 10-15 minutes.

For coating: I am using Chihyu’s of I Heart Umami tip to use frothed egg whites to coat the shrimp, followed with tapioca starch/flour or cornstarch, which gives them very light yet puffed up and crispy batter.

Avocado oil or coconut oil for frying is best if you want to stay away from unhealthful vegetable or canola oils. The shrimp is shallow-fried in a thin layer of oil rather than deep fried, so you won’t need a whole lot of oil.

For Mongolian sauce: freshly minced or grated ginger and garlic, soy sauce (Tamari or coconut aminos for Paleo/gluten-free), Hoisin sauce, honey (or brown sugar, I use a lot less than most recipes outthere), a little sesame oil and chilli flakes.

For garnish: green onions (scallions) and sesame seeds if you have some on hand.

To serve: I usually do rice and Asian greens or broccoli; you can also do cauliflower rice or veggies for a low-carb/paleo meal.

By the way, I have a recipe for Paleo hoisin sauce here if you must avoid the store-bought version.

How To Make Mongolian Shrimp

The full recipe card with ingredients and a nutritional breakdown is below. Here are some step-by-step photos and a video to guide you along.

Step 1. Peel and devein the shrimp if needed. Pat the shrimp dry with a clean paper towel. Make sure it’s completely dry so it turns out extra crispy when coated in starch and fried. 

Step 2. Butterfly the shrimp to make it look extra pretty when cooked. Cut the flesh along the back to butterfly shrimp, ensuring not to cut through the shrimp. Set aside.

Step 3. Whisk the egg whites until frothy in one bowl and set another bowl with the flour/starch. 

Step 4. Heat the oil in a shallow layer in a skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Once sizzling hot, add the shrimp. Working in batches, dip the shrimp in the egg-white mixture and then roll in the flour. Shake off the excess and carefully add to the hot oil in the pan.

Cook for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Remove cooked shrimp to a plate lined with some paper towel.

Step 5. While the shrimp is cooking, you can whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Combine everything except for garlic and ginger and whisk together. You can also do this first or ahead of time.

Step 6. Once all the shrimp are cooked, pour out excess oil from the pan into a bowl or soak it up with a paper towel. Leave a little bit of oil to fry off the garlic and ginger. 

Step 7. Keeping the pan on medium-high heat, add minced garlic and ginger to the pan and stir for 30 seconds to a minute. Don’t let them get too brown, we want just a little colour.

Then pour in the sauce and stir over heat for about a minute, until it starts to bubble away and caramelise slightly. At this stage, return the pre-cooked shrimp and stir through the sauce.

Turn the heat off and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over rice with side vegetables or salad.

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Full Recipe 

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

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