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    Home » Appetizers

    KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    Published 04/12/2016. Updated 10/03/2019

    Jump to Recipe

    A deep-fried shrimp dish glazed in a sweet and spicy sauce. Easy and delicious!

    DSC 1061 e1460513206635 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    This past weekend, we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday with a Korean feast! I made several of our family favorites, such as galbijjim, bossam, japchae, nokdujeon, ojingeo muchim, saengseon jjim (steamed fish), and gujeolpan (platter of 9 delicacies). Most of these dishes are what she used to make for us on special occasions. My mother greatly enjoyed the food and family gathering!

    This shrimp dish, called kkanpung saeu (깐풍새우), is another dish I prepared. It’s a deep-fried shrimp dish glazed in a sweet and spicy sauce.

    DSC 1087 e1460512998376 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    Like tangsuyuk, kkanpung saeu is a popular Korean-Chinese dish, which is a Chinese dish that’s adapted for the Korean palate by Chinese immigrants in Korea. Kkanpung is a Korean pronunciation of the Chinese word that refers to stir-frying until the sauce is all absorbed, and saeu (also spelled saewu or saewoo) means shrimp in Korean. When the dish is made with chicken, it’s called kkanpunggi (gi meaning chicken in Chinese).

    You can use this kkanpung shrimp recipe to make the chicken version as well. Kkanpung dishes are typically served as appetizers to share at Korean-Chinese restaurants before eating jajangmyeon or jjambbong as a main dish. It can be pricey, but it’s easy to pull together at home!

    To make the batter, I simply mix the shrimp with some potato starch and egg until the shrimp is evenly coated. This creates a light yet crispy coating. Be sure to deep-fry the shrimp twice for extra crispiness that will stand up to the sauce.

    For a spicy kick, I used dried hot peppers to make chili infused oil, but you can use commercially prepared chili oil and/or fresh green/red hot peppers instead. You can always leave them out if you don’t want any spiciness.

    DSC 1046 e1460513341787 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow  along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

     

    DSC 1087 150x150 1 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    Kkanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)

    4.59 from 39 votes
    Servings: 4
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound large shrimp about 22 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
    • Oil for frying

    Batter

    • 8 tablespoons potato starch
    • 1 egg

    Aromatic vegetables

    • 4 to 5 small dried red hot peppers roughly cut
    • 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
    • 1- inch ginger thinly julienned
    • 1 scallion finely chopped
    • 1/4 medium onion finely diced
    • 1/4 red bell pepper or 1 red chili pepper, finely diced
    • 1 green chili pepper finely diced

    Sauce

    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 tablespoons vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons rice or dry white wine or use more water
    • 2 tablespoons water or chicken or dashima broth
    • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

    Instructions

    • Clean the shrimp, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit until ready to coat with the batter.
      DSC 1095 e1460516283160 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Prepare the vegetables.
      DSC 0985 e1460516366753 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients, except the sesame oil, well until the sugar is dissolved.
      DSC 1022 e1460516414726 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Add the starch and egg to the bowl with the shrimp. Mix everything well by hand until there's no visible starch powder and the shrimp is evenly coated with the batter.
      DSC 1103 e1460516449902 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Add 4 cups of oil to a deep fryer, wok, or large pot. Heat over high heat to 340°F or until a drop of batter in the oil moderately bubbles up to the surface. Using metal tongs or chopsticks, drop the shrimp in the oil one at a time, in two batches. Cook until lightly golden, about a minute.
      DSC 1104 e1460516510829 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Remove them quickly with a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer set on a bowl. Reheat the oil to 340°F between the batches and for the second frying.
      DSC 1111 e1460516928107 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Add the shrimp (you can do this in one batch for the second frying) and briefly deep fry again until lightly golden brown. Drain on a wire rack or in a large mesh strainer.
      DSC 1013 e1460517024743 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • In a large pan or wok, add the dried pepper and 3 tablespoons of deep-frying oil over low heat until the oil starts to turn red. This only takes a few seconds. Do not burn the peppers.
      DSC 1115 e1460517115686 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Turn up the heat to high. Add the garlic, ginger, onion, and scallion, and stir fry briefly until fragrant. Stir in the green chili pepper and red bell (or chili) pepper, and cook for an additional minute or two.
      DSC 1017 e1460517186378 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Add the sauce, and boil for a couple of minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
      DSC 1035 e1460517251179 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    • Drop the shrimp into the pan, and quickly stir everything together until the sauce is almost absorbed. Drizzle the sesame oil, and toss everything together again. Serve immediately.
      DSC 1042 e1460517306917 - KKanpung Saeu (Sweet and Spicy Shrimp)
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shelly says

      October 10, 2023 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing! How in advance can you make it or does everything have to be done just before serving? Thanks

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        October 20, 2023 at 10:53 pm

        You can prep up to step 3 and do the rest on the day as close as possible to serving time.

        Reply
    2. Cathy says

      June 15, 2023 at 6:01 pm

      Which type of vinegar?

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        June 18, 2023 at 5:07 pm

        Any clear vinegar will do. I typically use rice vinegar.

        Reply
    3. Christopher Keller says

      December 18, 2020 at 5:56 pm

      5 stars
      Many, many thanks for this wonderful recipe! I was amazed at the punch of flavors in this dish. I happened to use chicken as the protein instead of shrimp. It was FANTASTIC. Thank you so very much again!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        January 29, 2021 at 9:07 pm

        Thank you! So happy to hear that! Oh chicken is great for this dish.

        Reply
    4. Diane says

      November 17, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely love all your recipes! This one made me look like a pro in front of all my friends and family- thank you!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        January 29, 2021 at 9:08 pm

        Aww that makes me so happy! Happy Korean cooking!

        Reply
    5. Angelique says

      July 26, 2020 at 11:18 pm

      5 stars
      This was very delicious and now will make regularly. Made a few other recipes from this site. So glad I stumbled on koreanbalsang.com

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        July 27, 2020 at 10:54 am

        Awesome! Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    6. Teresa says

      November 18, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      My husband is Korean born he came to the U.S when he was 5. Your recipes and food prep techniques are a God send and a staple in our home. I’m grateful to you for sharing your Korean food culture with the world … so delicious! You have enriched our lives and our dinner plates immensely. We thank you!

      Reply
    7. karen marie says

      June 11, 2018 at 12:23 pm

      This is like my dream!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        June 12, 2018 at 2:10 am

        Hope you try it soon!

        Reply
    8. Shelia McLendon says

      May 11, 2018 at 6:37 pm

      I love Korean food…and I am going to make this dish!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        May 11, 2018 at 10:12 pm

        You’ll love it!

        Reply
    9. David says

      October 11, 2017 at 4:20 pm

      This is a terrific site with great recipes. I’m a big fan!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        October 11, 2017 at 7:21 pm

        Thank you so much for being a big fan! I really appreciate it.

        Reply
    10. joongkoogjip says

      August 23, 2017 at 5:46 am

      Great Post.Thanks For sharing this post.

      Reply
    11. Han xi says

      June 10, 2017 at 6:52 pm

      Can use rice to white wine ..??
      The rice need to be in minced form ??
      And add in water for more liquid form

      Reply
    12. Cherry Yu says

      July 10, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Made his today . Was really good , my husband said I need to make it every week .

      Reply
    13. WOMEN IN FARMING says

      April 15, 2016 at 8:57 am

      Great article……. the post is splendid, I love the Images of food which tells the sweetness of Korean dishes. Thanks

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        May 09, 2016 at 12:07 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    14. kero says

      April 14, 2016 at 4:25 pm

      This looks great! And I’m so glad to have discovered your blog. Delicious looking food and love your step by step photos!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        April 14, 2016 at 11:08 pm

        Welcome to Korean Bapsang, Kero! And thank you for the nice words. Hope you find many dishes to try.

        Reply
    4.59 from 39 votes (35 ratings without comment)

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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