Food: Pan-fried prawns (干烧虾) my way

As long as my memory serves, I've always enjoyed eating prawns cooked. I also enjoy eating up a prawn in its entirety until the fateful day I ate some steamed prawns which were not very fresh and well-cooked at a seafood restaurant. That meal triggered off an allergy and slight food poisoning. 

Since the seafood-restaurant fiasco (I think I was around ten), I've sworn off the heads of prawns, eating only the remaning portion (flesh, shell and tail) when it's pan-fried by the cooks in my family. The only prawn dish I'll gladly pay for is prawns fried with cereal. Otherwise, I've learnt to trust only the prawns chosen by family members and myself.

I'm very pleased therefore to annouce that (after 3 practices), I have perfected my own pan-fried prawns (干烧虾). No spluttering and lots of fumes. My way!

After a 'debrief' with my mother (I'd almost perished doing this dish HER way), we both concluded that mine was the safest way to do this dish. But, she'll do it her own way in her own home - which is fine with me 'cos she hates to have me lurking about in the kitchen with her anyway! My mom has her own standards and idiosyncracies - she will NEVER allow her prawns to be shelled or headless. For me, I'm only too happy to dislodge the heads the minute I touch home from the supermarket. I only leave half of the prawns with their heads intact due to the fact that my husband enjoys eating them.

What's needed:

Fresh prawns (with/without head, deveined and dunked in cooking wine and some sugar for at least 30 mins)

Garlic, ginger, red onion/shallots (cut into small pieces)

Spring onion (chopped)

Mixture of dark soya sauce and some vinegar

A satchet of sugar

A teaspoon of cooking oil

Method:

(1) Heat frying pan and add a little cooking oil. Throw in the ginger and garlic bits - fry till fragrant. Add in shallots/onions last.

(2) Throw in the prawns and quickly mix it with the ingredients.

(3) Scatter a satchet of sugar all over the prawns as they are almost cooked (when they turn reddish). Mix well.

(4) Pour in the dark soya sauce and vinegar. Mix well and turn off flames. you won't want the prawns to be overcooked.

(5) Serve with some spring onion. This dish goes well with steamed rice and soup!

My lunch

Enjoy pan-fried prawns Mumusings' way:

  

Eat the entire prawn together with some of the shallots/ginger/garlic!

I hate wasting the gravy of this particular prawn dish. I take pains to swipe

off as much gravy as I can, using the pork from the soup.

All finished... I'm a small eater, don't eat much rice BUT I can finish

up more than 10 prawns on my own.

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