Recipe of the week: sweet and spicy king prawns
Fish and shellfish are enjoyed ‘on the bone’ in Chinese cuisine
In Chinese cuisine, fish and shellfish are enjoyed “on the bone”, with crispy skin – and even shells – intact, says Suzie Lee. My mother used to make this lip-smacking dish with king prawns from the market, and now my kids love it, too.
Ingredients: serves 4
- 500g raw king prawns
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 15g piece of fresh ginger root, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or chilli oil
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 4 large spring onions, cut into chunks
Method
- Clean the prawns and make a shallow incision down their backs to remove the digestive tract.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes until the aromas are released (careful that they do not burn; reduce the heat if they start to catch).
- Add the chilli and fry for another minute, followed by the ketchup, sugar and vinegar, and let everything bubble away for a couple of minutes, then add the Shaoxing wine and a splash of water. Simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce, then add the prawns and toss so they are evenly coated.
- Cover with a lid and let the prawns steam for about 5mins. Remove the lid and keep stirring until they are cooked through: how long this takes will depend on the size of the prawns.
- Finally, mix through the spring onions and serve.
Taken from Simply Chinese: Recipes From a Chinese Home Kitchen by Suzie Lee, published by Hardie Grant at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Art Review: Downtown/Uptown: New York in the EightiesFeature Lévy Gorvy Dayan, New York City, through Dec. 13
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
6 well-crafted log homesFeature Featuring a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace in Montana and a Tulikivi stove in New York
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball