Recipe of the week: sweet and spicy king prawns 

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.

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