Home Living Cooking In the Kitchen Who put the ‘bang’ in bang bang shrimp?

In the Kitchen
Who put the ‘bang’ in bang bang shrimp?

Photos: Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig

A typical day off consists of menu-making, blog researching and of course cooking up something new for dinner. A dish I had heard a lot about but never tried was bang bang shrimp (or sometimes chicken).

In doing some research I’ve discovered that it is most popular at a few chain restaurants. The description is said to be that of a Thai flavored or inspired dish that consists of crispy shrimp tossed in a sweet chili based sauce. This in itself just sounds amazing but I couldn’t help but wonder if this was an actual Thai dish.

My research has left me still wondering. The only history I could find was that bang bang chicken was Chinese, “bang” meaning stick (not bang! like in English) and that bang bang chicken was a street food served on a stick with a nutty sauce. The recipe didn’t compare to any of the bang bang shrimp recipes I found and I couldn’t find any resources to prove that this theory might be the truth either.

So I decided to just whip up a combined version of what I thought bang bang shrimp should be. The final serving methods can really become creative. This sweet and not-so-spicy (just a nice kick) shrimp can be served over a pile of your favorite greens, in a rice bowl with some steamed broccoli or even, dare I say, on a taco. Or if you’re not so inclined, the shrimp is just as tasty all by its lonesome. A dish that makes your mouth say “bang bang” is definitely all the more reason to try it.

Oh, and if any of you know the real history of bang bang shrimp, please share it, as I am still on the hunt for the truth behind bang bang shrimp!

Bang Bang Shrimp

Serves 42016_0514_kitchen_shrimp

Ingredients:
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off
1 cup Buttermilk
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Sriracha or Hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed

For the Bang Bang Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt and pepper

For Serving:
Cooked rice, white or brown, or Bibb lettuce
Chopped scallion or chive for garnish

• Mix the sauce ingredients together, mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Sriracha, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, Sriracha, salt and pepper to form a batter. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Working in small batches, 4-5 at a time, dip the shrimp into the buttermilk batter, then dredge in the panko mixture, pressing the shrimp into the crumbs to coat.
• Cook the shrimp in the heated oil, in batches. Cook, turning halfway through to ensure even browning on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
• After the shrimp has drained of excess oil, place in a large bowl. Drizzle with sauce and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately over rice or lettuce with the remaining sauce drizzled on top.

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baig kayleigh

Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir and their two dogs.

Kayleigh is in her third season as Sous Chef at a private kitchen in Southampton. Not only is she second in command but her main focus is on creating, preparing and executing cold dishes such as salads, hors d’œuvres, appetizers, canapés, pâtés and terrines. Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 15 years, working her way up in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.

Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.

Got questions? Recipes? Ideas? [contact-form-7 id=”27493″ title=”Write to Kayleigh”]

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Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig
Kayleigh is a sous chef at the Meadow Club in Southampton. A Riverhead native, she is married and the mother of a daughter born in December 2016. Email Kayleigh