Easy Sweet & Sour Prawns

This sweet and sour prawns recipe is based on Chinese sweet and sour prawns. Some recipes cook the prawns in batter first, but I prefer to leave the prawns as they are, cooking them fresh in the sauce.

The sweet and sour sauce is super simple to make and uses basic ingredients most of you will have in your stores at home. The recipe is easily adapted to suit your own tastes.

I usually serve sweet and sour shrimp with some steamed white rice and extra vegetables. You could also serve with stir fried noodles.

Recipe ingredients

• Vegetables - I like to use onion, carrot, red bell pepper (or use any other colour pepper) in this recipe.
• Chilli - I add one red seeded chilli to the stir fry, this adds very mild chilli heat, but you can cut it back by deseeding the chilli, or use ½ chilli, or leave it out if you prefer.
• Garlic & Ginger - I add fresh garlic and ginger to add depth of flavour. You can also use frozen garlic and ginger.
• Pineapple - I use a small can of pineapple rings in juice. I retain the pineapple juice to add to the sweet and sour sauce.
• Oil - I like to use sunflower oil when stir-frying as it doesn't have a strong flavour.
• Prawns - I use raw king prawns (large shrimp) in this recipe. For ease I like to buy peeled and deveined king prawns.
• Spring onions - I like to add sliced spring onions to the dish before serving to add a burst of freshness.

Sweet and sour sauce ingredients

• Flour - I use plain flour (all purpose flour) to thicken the sauce.
• Sugar - caster sugar is used to sweeten the sauce, but don't add to much as there is also sweetness in the pineapple juice.
• Tomato ketchup - tomato ketchup adds both depth of tomato flavour and sweetness to the sauce.
• Vinegar - I use white wine vinegar or white vinegar when making sweet and sour sauce, both work equally well.
• Soy sauce - I add light soy sauce to the sweet and sour sauce, as light soy sauce add salty seasoning.
• Pineapple juice - I retain the juice from the can of pineapples and add it to the sauce with some cold water.

How to make Easy Sweet & Sour Prawns

• Prepare the vegetables and set aside, keeping the onion, carrot and bell pepper separate from the chilli, garlic and ginger.
• Remove the pineapple rings from the can and cut each ring into 8 even-sized pieces.
• Pour the remaining pineapple juice into a measuring jug and top up with water to 280ml (½ pint).
• Place all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and stir until well combined. Now pour the sauce ingredients into the jug with the pineapple juice and stir.

• Place the wok over a high heat on the stove. When hot add the sunflower oil, followed by the onion, carrot, bell pepper and pineapple chunks. Stir fry for 5 minutes, keeping everything moving to stop it burning.
• Now add the chilli, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a minute.
• Pour the sauce into the wok, bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened to the desired consistency.

• Now add the prawns to the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through (internal temp 63°C/145°F).
• Remove the wok from the heat and serve the prawns and sauce with some steamed rice or noodles. Garnish with spring onions.

Recipe variations

• Prawns - I prefer to use raw prawns, cooking them in the sauce. You can use cooked prawns, but add them to the sauce, and only stir through for a minute to warm through, otherwise they will overcook.
• Protein - swap the prawns for other protein like chicken or pork. If using chicken or pork, sauté the meat first until cooked through, then remove it from the wok and set aside. Add it back into the cooked sauce to warm through before serving.
• Vegan - make a plant based vegan sweet and sour by replacing the prawns with tofu, or a variety of other vegetables.
• Vegetables - add in other vegetables to the stir fry, try baby corn, sugar snap peas, mange tout, mushrooms, or broccoli florets (par boil broccoli for 2 minutes first).
• Gluten Free - swap the flour in the sauce for corn flour (cornstarch).

Serving suggestions

I like to serve sweet and sour with some steamed white rice, or my Easy Egg Fried Rice. You can swap rice for noodles if you prefer.

I also like to add a couple of additional vegetable sides, try my Chinese Stir Fry Broccoli or Stir Fry Pak Choy.

Useful hints and tips

1. Once the sauce has reduced taste the sauce, then adjust to your taste. Want it a little sweeter add some ketchup or sugar. Prefer it a little more sour (I do), then add a vinegar.
2. Don't overcook the prawns, cook them only until they turn pink and cooked through internal temperature of 63°C/145°F), take off the heat. The prawns will continue to cook in the hot sauce, and you don't want them overcooking and becoming rubbery.
3. Allergy advice: dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my other stir fry recipes:

• Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken
• Beef Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce
• Easy Stir Fried Chicken & Cashew Nuts
• Easy Vegetable Stir Fry
• Chinese Steamed Seabass
• Pork & Peanut Stir Fry

For further great family dining ideas take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Family Dining.