This Chinese Garlic Shrimp Crock Pot Recipe is impressive, very delicious, and surprisingly easy to make.
It is a great candidate for Chinese New Year dinner, not only because it symbolizes wealth and happiness “coming,” but also because you can prepare the entire dish in advance! This also makes it a wonderful weekend dinner, potluck dish, or dinner party centerpiece.
What characterizes a Chinese casserole or earthenware dish?
We love ordering clay pot dishes, also sometimes called “casserole” in English, when we go out to eat at a Cantonese restaurant. Even though they take longer to cook than other dishes on the menu, there’s something irresistible about the way the waiters bring them to the table, piping hot and still piping hot from the residual heat of the clay pot.
These terracotta dishes involve combining all the ingredients and simmering or braising them together to create a rich tapestry of flavors and textures. The dish is served directly in the pot itself, wowing diners and allowing the dish to stay hot on the table.
While you may have had clay pot stews like Sarah’s Chicken and Soft Tofu Casserole, Bill’s Clay Pot Fish and Tofu, or my Cantonese Eggplant Casserole, or clay pot rice dishes like our clay pot rice with chicken and mushrooms or Hong Kong clay pot rice, this one is a little different.
It’s not a stew or rice dish, but rather a layering of flavors and textures. I pile vegetables, glass noodles and shrimp on top of each other in the pot and smother them in a savory, garlicky sauce. After cooking, the flavors of the shrimp and sauce penetrate the layers underneath, creating an incredibly tasty and balanced dish.
Garlic, shrimp and glass noodles go great together and the taste is so memorable once you try it. The noodles absorb so much flavor and the shrimp and garlic are sweet and tangy at the same time.
We have a simple steamed version and also a delicious variation in our cookbook. This casserole recipe is another follow-up – a complete meal in and of itself and so easy.
An easy dish to prepare in advance
This Chinese Garlic Shrimp Clay Pot is ideal for make-ahead scenarios. Prepare it up to 1 day in advance.
You can prepare it in the morning, cover it and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it in the evening. When you’re ready to cook, just place the covered pot on the stove, place on the stove and you’re done!
Kaitlin recently published a post about how to prepare a large multi-dish Chinese meal with a single wok, and one of the most important strategies in that article is to choose a few dishes that can be prepared in advance, that don’t require a wok . . This is one of those dishes!
Make it before your next party so you can really enjoy the time with your guests, or make it for Chinese New Year so you can focus on other dishes while this one simmers. Or take it out of the fridge in the evening to enjoy a delicious restaurant-quality meal after a long day at work.
Let money and happiness come!
This recipe joins our blog’s growing collection of auspicious Chinese New Year recipes, from Money Bag Dumplings to Longevity Noodles.
Shrimp is a staple for Chinese New Year meals, because the Cantonese word for shrimp “ah” sounds like laughter. They symbolize happiness and family unity.
The way the bright orange shrimp are arranged for this dish, in a wheel pattern, embodies the Chinese phrase 红红火火, 财源滚滚 (hóng hóng huo huƒ, cáiyuán găngăn). It means “coming prosperity and wealth”.
That’s some pretty strong symbolism for a dish. Not to mention she’s so attractive. Don’t you agree?
I hope you enjoy this recipe at your next Lunar New Year celebration!
Recipe instructions
Start by preparing the shrimp. Use kitchen shears to cut off the legs and sharp edges around the head. Cut the prawns along the back and remove the veins (a toothpick can help). Rinse, remove excess water and set aside.
Next, prepare the sauce. Add the minced garlic and chiles (if using) to a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a pan until shimmering and carefully pour the hot oil evenly over the garlic and chillies (it should sizzle). Then add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and salt.
In a medium, large pot (preferably a crockpot), layer the ingredients in the following order: red onion, napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and mung bean vermicelli. Then arrange the prawns on top in a circular pattern.
Pour the water evenly over the shrimp, followed by the prepared sauce.
Cover the pot and place it on the stove over medium-high heat.
Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or just until the shrimp are opaque. (Cooking time varies depending on the size of the shrimp. I had very large shrimp — 10-12 shrimp per pound — so I cooked them for 15 minutes. If you assembled the crock-pot ahead of time, bringing it straight from the refrigerator to the stove, cooking may take a minute or two longer.)
Uncover, garnish with chopped shallots and serve immediately.
Chinese clay pot with garlic shrimp
This Chinese Garlic Shrimp Crock Pot Recipe is awesome, so delicious, and surprisingly easy to make, even ahead of time!
serves: 4
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooked: 15 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Prevents the screen from going dark
Instructions
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Start by preparing the prawns. Use kitchen shears to cut off the legs and sharp edges around the head. Cut the prawns along the back and remove the veins (a toothpick can help). Rinse, remove excess water and set aside.
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Next, prepare the sauce. Add the minced garlic and chiles (if using) to a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a pan until shimmering and carefully pour the hot oil evenly over the garlic and chillies (it should sizzle). Then add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and salt.
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In a medium, large pot (preferably a crockpot), layer the ingredients in the following order: red onion, napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and mung bean vermicelli. Then arrange the prawns on top in a circular pattern. Pour the water evenly over the shrimp, followed by the prepared sauce. Cover the pot.
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Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or just until the shrimp are opaque. (Cooking time varies depending on the size of the shrimp. I had very large shrimp — 10-12 shrimp per pound — so I cooked them for 15 minutes. If you assembled the crock-pot ahead of time, taking it directly from the refrigerator to the stove, cooking may take a minute or two longer.)
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Uncover, garnish with chopped shallots and serve immediately.
nutritional data
Calories: 249kcal (12%) Carbohydrates: 16G (5%) Protein: 20G (40%) Fat: 12G (18%) Saturated fat: 1G (5%) Polyunsaturated fats: 3G Monounsaturated fats: 7G Trans fats: 0.1G Cholesterol: 143mg (48%) Sodium: 1604mg (67%) Potassium: 607mg (17%) Fiber: 3G (12%) Sugar: 4G (4%) Vitamin A: 630UI (13%) Vitamin C: 52mg (63%) Soccer: 134mg (13%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
