It's time for another classic buffet dish: creamy and crispy coconut shrimp. The shrimp is amazingly crispy and stands up perfectly to the creamy coconut sauce. I first learned to make this a few years ago from a Chinese chef and I have not changed the recipe one bit. When I make this for my friends and family, it's always the favorite of the night.
When I was a kid, I remember going to the Chinese buffet with my family and always getting excited when I saw the coconut shrimp at the buffet table. The best part was the coconut sauce. It was creamy, coconutty, and addictively sweet. I could literally eat it with anything. Sometimes this dish is also made with chicken instead of shrimp.
The crispy coating comes from breading the shrimp in cornstarch and tapioca starch and deep-frying in hot oil. I would describe the coating as being light and crispy, slightly bubbly, and having nooks and crannies which makes the sauce cling to it better.
What shrimp to use?
I would recommend medium-sized shrimp, around U31-U40, which means there are 31 to 40 shrimps per pound. Smaller shrimps are OKAY too, but it's not my preference because they cook really fast and tend to overcook before the crust develops a golden color.
Ingredients for coconut sauce
Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is the base in terms of flavor for this dish. Any type of coconut milk (light, full-fat, or cream) would work great for this, but I'm using full-fat coconut milk because it's what I have in my pantry right now.
Sugar: Once you realize how much sugar is in this dish, you might be turned off from making it, but just hear me out. Chinese food needs sugar! We need ¼ a cup for this recipe. It might seem like a lot, but it's actually not that much. It's only slightly more than what's in a can of Coca-Cola, and this dish can be eaten by 3-4 people.
Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is a must for this recipe. It's what gives that extra oomph to the sauce. If you're worried about the sauce tasting like mayo, don't be, it doesn't make the sauce taste like mayo at all. It just helps bring richness and creaminess. I'm using the Hellman's brand of mayonnaise.
How to make the shrimp
What I like to do is to dredge all the shrimp in advance and then fry the shrimp in two batches. For coating the shrimp, I used a combination of cornstarch, tapioca starch, and baking powder. The baking powder is extremely important because it gives the crust a bit of lightness and airiness, otherwise the crust would be very dense.
After dredging the shrimp, heat about 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a Dutch oven. Fry for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp is a beautiful golden color. Then just mix it with the sauce.
Chinese Coconut Shrimp (Buffet Style)
Ingredients
For the marinade
For the dredge
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the coconut sauce
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, egg white, Chinese rice wine, and salt. Mix well and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- In another bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, tapioca starch, sugar, and baking powder. Sprinkle ¼ cup of this mixture on a baking sheet.
- Give the shrimp mixture a good stir, then, working one at a time, dredge a piece of shrimp in the starch mixture then transfer to the baking sheet. After all the shrimp is dredged, allow the shrimp to rest for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk, sugar, mayonnaise, vinegar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the oil and ginger and cook for 30 seconds until the ginger is fragrant.
- Add the sauce mixture and cook until it bubbles and thickens. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and keep warm until serving.
- Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a large Dutch oven. Deep-fry the shrimp in two batches for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to drain. When all the shrimp is fried, add to the pan of sauce and toss to coat. Enjoy!
Connie Paxton
DEFINITELY going to try this recipe and the peanut butter chicken recipe!! Thanks for sharing
Grumpy
Thanks, Connie. Definitely let me know how they go!
Patty cunningham
Ate this coconut shrimp from Panda Express.That's the only thing I ordered.I'm gonna try to make it myself because it's absolutely wonderful.
Thank you
Sky
Can you make the coconut chicken buffet version? I can't find it.