A round white porcelain plate holds glossy white peeled river shrimp with about ten bright green Longjing tea leaves among them, and a pair of wooden chopsticks lies beside the plate.
The regional cooking of Zhejiang, with Hangzhou attentive to the season and Ningbo skilled with seafood.
Longjing shrimp is a Hangzhou dish: peeled river shrimp coated in egg white and starch are passed through oil, then tossed with Longjing tea leaves, leaving white shrimp and green leaves with a light tea scent. No dated text mentioning the dish has been found; the stories about the Qianlong emperor in disguise and a cook inspired by a ci poem of Su Shi on new tea are legends. Plain stir-fried shrimp without tea began in Suzhou, and Hangzhou cooks later added Longjing tea. By 2024, many restaurants were using sea shrimp instead of river shrimp.
What
Longjing shrimp is a Hangzhou stir-fry: peeled river shrimp coated in egg white and starch are stirred in oil until just set, then tossed with Longjing tea leaves and a little tea liquid. The shrimp stay white, the leaves are bright green, and there is a light tea scent.1,3,8
When
No dated text mentioning this dish has been found. The origin stories about the Qianlong emperor traveling in disguise near Hangzhou and about a ci poem by Su Shi on new tea are legends. A 2026 essay says that the Hangzhou chef Wu Lichang paired freshly picked Longjing leaves with live lake shrimp in the Republic era, but gives no basis for the claim. A 2024 account traces plain stir-fried shrimp without tea to Suzhou, with Hangzhou cooks later adding Longjing tea.1,2,3,8
Where
Longjing shrimp is a well-known specialty of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, where Longjing tea is grown.1
How
In a method described in 2024, shrimp are mixed with salt, egg white and starch, chilled for about 1 hour and passed through oil; tea is brewed at about 80 degrees Celsius and tossed with the shrimp. Some cooks add a little sugar to soften the tea's bitterness. Another method, described in 2017, briefly soaks the shrimp in tea water, cooks them in oil at about 120 degrees Celsius for about 10 seconds, then flips them in the wok with the tea leaves 4 or 5 times.3,8
Why
The dish pairs the sweetness of fresh river shrimp with the clean scent of Longjing tea leaves, for a light taste.1,3,8
Impact and influence
In 2019, Louwailou, founded in 1848, and Shanwaishan, founded in 1903, both recommended this dish. Ru Yuan in Hangzhou serves shrimp sauteed with Longjing tea leaves, and a restaurant on Shuguang Road serves river shrimp sauteed with Longjing tea. By 2024, many restaurants were using sea shrimp in place of river shrimp.8,9,10,11
Legend has it that the Qianlong emperor, traveling in disguise near Hangzhou, was given freshly picked Longjing tea at a farmhouse. Later he ordered fried shrimp at an inn, and someone there noticed his imperial robe. The flustered cook threw the tea leaves into the wok, mistaking them for scallions, and the emperor liked the taste.
Told in: A folk legend told around Hangzhou, found in a 2014 China Daily article, a 2017 English-language article on Chinese culture and a 2000 China News Service entry.
Su Shi's Ci Poem and a Cook
Another telling says a Hangzhou cook read the line about trying new tea over a new fire in Su Shi's ci poem to the tune Wang Jiang Nan, thought of pairing new tea with river shrimp, and so made this dish.
Told in: A telling from the Hangzhou area, found in an English-language article on Chinese culture, in China Daily and in a food entry that calls it a story handed down.
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
Longjing shrimp depends on fresh shrimp and quick heat. This is the simpler way I make it at home: one wok, and less oil for passing the shrimp than a restaurant uses. The amounts and timings below are my own choices at home, drawn from a few recipes and the Hangzhou Net entry. Hangzhou Net says many restaurants now use sea shrimp; at home I use fresh river shrimp or sea shrimp, bought and cooked the same day, and I cook them until they are white all the way through with nothing glassy left.
Ingredients
Fresh peeled river shrimp or sea shrimp 300 g, already peeled
Egg white 1
Cornstarch 1 tablespoon, about 10 g
Salt about 1/2 teaspoon (3 g)
Shaoxing rice wine 1 teaspoon
Longjing tea leaves 3 g, about 1 teaspoon
Hot water at about 80 degrees Celsius about 100 ml
Cooking oil about 150 ml, for passing the shrimp
Sugar a pinch, optional
Steps
Rinse the shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels. Put them in a bowl with the salt, rice wine, egg white and cornstarch and stir in one direction until each shrimp has a thin coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Put the tea leaves in a cup, pour in the water at about 80 degrees Celsius and steep for about 1 minute. Pour off about two thirds of the tea liquid to use elsewhere, leaving the leaves and a little liquid in the cup.
Put about 150 ml of oil in the wok and warm it over medium-low heat to about 120 degrees Celsius, with no smoke on the surface; a chopstick tip put in should give off only small bubbles.
Slide in the shrimp and stir them apart with chopsticks. After 10 to 15 seconds, when they turn white, lift them out and drain off the oil.
Pour the oil out of the wok, leaving only a thin film, and return the shrimp with the tea leaves and 2 tablespoons of the tea liquid. Toss for about 30 seconds. Cut one shrimp open; it is cooked only when it is white all the way through with nothing glassy. Serve right away, while hot.
Tips
The 2024 Hangzhou Net entry says a little sugar can soften the tea's bitterness. When the tea tastes bitter to me, a pinch of sugar is enough.
I buy the shrimp the same day and keep them in the refrigerator once peeled. That is my own habit.
