Oil-Blast Shrimp
Shrimp flash-fried in hot oil until the shells turn crisp and red, in a lightly sweet, savoury glaze.
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Biluochun Shrimp with Broad Beans
Hand-peeled river shrimp, slipped briefly through oil with broad beans, ham and a whisper of Biluochun tea. Adapted for a home kitchen from the original ClouChef R&D report — 碧螺春手剥虾仁, report 32.
Original poster image from clouchef.com (poster: 碧螺春手剥虾仁_32.jpeg). This is the hero poster only, not a step-by-step photo set.
Prep: 30 minutesCook: 2 minutesTotal: 32 minutesServings: 1–2Difficulty: MediumRegion: Jiangsu (Suzhou)Flavour: Light, savoury, tea-fragrant
Why this works
This dish is built on restraint. The shrimp are soaked, rinsed and velveted, then slid through oil for only fifteen to twenty seconds, because the report is blunt that anything past twenty-five seconds turns them tough, while anything shorter leaves them undercooked. Broad beans are blanched for thirty seconds and shocked cold so they stay green and snappy, and the tea is brewed at eighty degrees for thirty seconds only — boiling water would make it bitter and swamp the shrimp. The sauce is a thin veil of chicken stock, tea and starch, not a coating, so the plate tastes clean, savoury and faintly floral. What makes it feel special is not richness but timing: every element is prepared ahead, the wok work lasts about two minutes, and the tea leaves on top are already brewed, so they garnish without any raw-tea risk, keeping the plate safe as well as pretty.
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Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | Substitute / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-peeled river shrimp | 5.3 oz | 150 g | Peeled fresh shrimp; frozen peeled shrimp, thawed and patted dry, is the home substitute (adaptation). |
| Fresh broad beans, shelled | 1.1 oz | 30 g | Frozen broad beans, thawed, work (adaptation). |
| Jinhua ham, minced | 0.2 oz | 5 g | Any cured ham, finely minced; prosciutto in a pinch (adaptation). |
| Chicken stock | 3 tbsp + 1 tsp | 50 ml | — |
| Biluochun tea infusion | 2 tsp | 10 ml | Brewed at 80 °C for 30 seconds (see steps). Any good green tea works if Biluochun is unavailable (adaptation). |
| Salt | ¼ tsp | 1.5 g | Plus 1 g for blanching water, from the report. |
| MSG | Pinch | 0.5 g | Optional; omit if you prefer (adaptation). |
| Cooking wine | 1 tsp | 5 ml | Shaoxing wine. |
| Egg white, for velveting | About 1 tsp | 5 g | From the report's prep step. |
| Corn starch, for velveting | 2 tsp | 8 g | — |
| Baking soda, for soaking | Pinch | 0.3% solution | Dissolve in water with 1% salt for the shrimp soak; rinse well afterwards. |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 20 ml | Plus 3 ml in the blanching water. |
| Biluochun tea leaves, brewed, to garnish | 3–5 leaves | 3–5 leaves | Leaves already brewed in hot water, as the report requires. |
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet — no wok required (adaptation)
- Bowl of ice water
- Small bowl for the thin starch slurry (starch and water 1:10, per the report)
Steps
- Soak and velvet the shrimp. Soak the shrimp in water with 1% salt and 0.3% baking soda for 10 minutes, rinse until no longer slimy, and pat dry. Toss with the egg white, starch and cooking wine and chill for 15 minutes.
- Blanch the beans. Boil water with 1 g salt and 3 ml oil, blanch the broad beans for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water to keep them green.
- Brew the tea. Pour 80 °C water over Biluochun tea, steep for 30 seconds, and measure out 10 ml of infusion. Drain the leaves for garnish.
- Slip the shrimp. Heat oil to about 120 °C, slide in the shrimp and stir quickly for 15–20 seconds until just coloured, then lift out at once. The report requires the centre to reach at least 75 °C.
- Combine. Leave a little oil in the pan, fry the ham until fragrant, add the stock, tea infusion, salt and MSG, and thicken lightly. Return the shrimp and beans, toss over high heat for 5 seconds, and finish with a drizzle of bright oil.
- Plate. Mound in the centre of a white plate, top with 3–5 brewed tea leaves, and dot the rim with a little tea infusion.
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Technique: fifteen seconds, not a minute
Shrimp this small go from tender to rubbery in seconds, so the oil must be only about 120–140 °C and the shrimp must come out the moment they colour. Prepare everything first: once the shrimp go in, there is no time to measure anything else. A thin starch veil (about 1:10) keeps the dish clear rather than gloopy.
Variations
- No Biluochun: use another delicate green tea brewed the same way at 80 °C; do not use boiling water (adaptation).
- No broad beans: shelled edamame gives a similar green snap, though the spring character changes (adaptation).
Frequently asked questions
Why soak shrimp in baking soda?
The report uses a brief salt and baking-soda soak to firm the shrimp and remove sliminess; rinse thoroughly so no soda taste remains.
Can I skip the ham?
Yes, but you lose the salty, savoury lift that seasons the whole plate; add a pinch more salt instead (adaptation).
My shrimp turned tough — what happened?
Almost always overcooking: past 25 seconds in the oil, or oil far hotter than 120–140 °C.
Storage and freezing
Best eaten fresh, within minutes. Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat very gently until steaming hot — the shrimp will firm up further. Do not freeze.
Biluochun Shrimp with Broad Beans — Recipe Card
Delicate river shrimp with broad beans, ham and Biluochun tea, cooked in about two minutes.
Prep: 30 minutesCook: 2 minutesTotal: 32 minutesServings: 1–2
Ingredients: 150 g river shrimp; 30 g broad beans; 5 g Jinhua ham; 50 ml chicken stock; 10 ml Biluochun infusion; 1.5 g salt; 0.5 g MSG (optional); 5 ml cooking wine; 5 g egg white; 8 g corn starch; 20 ml oil; 3–5 brewed tea leaves.
Steps: 1) Soak, rinse and velvet shrimp; chill 15 minutes. 2) Blanch beans 30 seconds, ice bath. 3) Brew tea at 80 °C, 30 seconds. 4) Slip shrimp 15–20 seconds, combine, toss 5 seconds, plate.
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Source note: ingredients, quantities and steps are adapted from the original ClouChef R&D report for 碧螺春手剥虾仁 (data/reports/32.md). The report's pricing, margin and marketing sections are deliberately omitted here; no B2B cost is presented as a home-cook cost. Home servings (1–2, from one 200 g restaurant portion) and the frozen-shrimp and frozen-bean substitutes are adaptations and are labelled as such. Original poster image: clouchef.com (碧螺春手剥虾仁_32.jpeg).