Sunday 20 January 2013

Sweet and Spicy Prawns


I am not really a fan of prawns especially if they are cooked in their shells. I don't like getting my hands dirty peeling them especially at the restaurant. But then again, prawns are a big thing during Chinese New Year for most people. And if you shell them first, they kind of shrink and won't look presentable for some dishes.



Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional prawn but I am just not super crazy about them. That is why when I saw this  Sweet and Spicy Prawns on K. Nor's blog, I just had to try it because it looked marvelous, just the sort of dish to serve for Chinese New Year.



Just to side track a little bit. During the MFF Terengganu event, K. Nor and I found out that we were primary school classmates. I still have our class photo when we were in standard 5  but I promised K. Nor that I would not show that photo to anyone else :) I enjoy reading her blog as Nor (we are the same age so I'm not supposed to call her Kak... hee..hee...) is still the same girl full of humour. She never fails to make me laugh. I am happy that my friend has a happy family and she has turned out to be an accomplished cook.



Now back to the marvelous prawns. Nor adapted her recipe from Gertrude's Sweet and Spicy Crabs and if you are a crab fan, do hop over. Me and crabs don't exactly get along, so I'll settle for the prawns. I find that this dish is delicious as the combination of garlic and ginger always works beautifully. The addition of a beaten egg at the last step makes the gravy very creamy and thick. However, after cooking this dish, I think I would prefer it without the egg although I did enjoy the creamy sauce. The dish was not spicy (hot) as I de-seeded the chilli.

Sweet and Spicy Prawns
Recipe source : Adapted from Secubit Garam (originally from My Kitchen Snippets)

Ingredients :
- 400g prawns (20 medium sized prawns)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger minced
- 1 red chilli, de-seeded and minced
- 3 sprigs spring onions, cut into 1/4 inch length
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 red chilli, sliced (optional, I added this at the end)

For sauce :
- 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornflour dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

Garnishing (optional)
- some tomato slices
- some corriander leaves

Method :
1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Rinse the prawns and trim the feelers.
3. Heat oil in wok and saute the garlic, ginger and chilli until aromatic and garlic is slightly brown.
4. Add prawns and fry until prawns turn red.
5. Add sauce, cover the wok and lower heat.
6. Simmer for about 5 minutes until sauce is thick.
7. Drizzle in beaten egg and give it a good stir.
8. Add spring onions and sliced chilli and stir to mix.
9. Garnish with tomato slices and corriander. Serve immediately.




I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

60 comments:

  1. Ohh..sweet n spicy prawns...I like it. Today u have prawn dish n I have fish cabbage parcel...we can have dinner together.Yes!

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    1. Li Shuan, that would be very nice! And you have to make your fabulous cheesecake dessert too :)

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  2. Gosh!!! That looks soooo good! Must be heavenly! No kunyit? Colour looks like you had that... Love the colour, very nice!

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    1. Arthur, I didn't put kunyit even though Nor did her's with kunyit. I guess it must have been the lighting that gave it a yellowish tinge.

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  3. After eating Helena's cabbage parcels , my stomach still have room for your prawn, hehehe.. Love this prawn too! What a small world ! Going to hop over Nor blog and see what she has there.,

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    1. Sonia, I think you have space for many prawns just like me because once you peel it, it becomes so small :)

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  4. Hi Phong Hong, lovely prawn dish which I can only drool for it. Everyday, I see many ppl at the wet market starting to buy and store prawns for the CNY. My MIL is one of them, so I'm safe from the rush.

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    1. Kimmy, prawns seem to be a must have dish for CNY.

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  5. Hi Phong Hong, your sweet and spice prawns really make me Hungryyyyyy......
    Okay, this is going to be my dinner for tonight :)

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    1. Esther, you can cook this too and the sauce is pretty much like the spicy crab sauce. Would be nice to dip with buns or toast.

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  6. hehehehe.. bukan main lg memuji ya... tq.. tq... tq juga kepada MFF kan, yg 'menemukan' kita dlm jejak kasih aritu.. hehe

    kalau tak nak creamy sgt, kurangkan sket telur tu, just put half or it only.. tak la pekat sgt.. tp tetap sedap kan..

    thanks to gert yg share resipi ni dan mintak nor buat dulu, kalau tak mmg tak merasa keenakkan dish ni kan :)

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    1. Nor, yang baik kita kenalah highlight. PH lebih suka kalau tanpa telur, tapi sedap juga. Ini kira testing lah sebelum masak untuk CNY nanti :)

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  7. and I am crazy about them:)

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  8. That's the beauty of the Internet. Getting connected with long lost friends. How wonderful for you and Nor to Bevin touch again and some more share the same passion. My Quay Lo is the same like you, don't like prawns with shells. I am the opposite, I love most thins with shells. When I try this recipe, I will omit the egg and add more chilli.

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    1. Quay Po, I will do the same. I will add cili padi hah! hah! More zing and sparks :)

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  9. What a small world! How fun to reconnect with an old classmate. Your prawns look wonderful...I need to cook with them more :)

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    1. Lizzy, if you like Asian dishes like sweet and sour pork, you will like this prawn dish too!

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  10. Hi PH! Do you know how do prawns laugh? -> Har Har Har....

    Ok... only Cantonese will get this joke.. :)

    Looks like you are getting all ready for CNY.

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    1. Alvin, you got me laughing out loud there!

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  11. yes, prawn is a big thing during cny! the price also BIG! the big ones are selling around RM70/kg..whoa! sweet and hot prawns, crabs ..all also i like! use your hands , use your hands!! LOL!

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    1. Lena, I know everybody loves prawns and crabs. Myself I love chicken hah! hah!

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  12. I'm a huge fan of prawns & this is making me drool!

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    1. Shirley, I thinks most prawn lovers will love this dish :)

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  13. wah, remind me the sweet and spicy clab in resteraut.
    my clever friend, you would come up with an idea - sweet and spicy prawns,you're great!!!

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    1. Oh no, I only copycat my friend Nor heh..heh... She is the one who came up with the idea to use prawns. Why don't you cook this for CNY?

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  14. Wow, this looks divine! I love anything Sweet and Spicy. I would definitely try this this week for dinner. My kids love prawns! :P

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    1. Hi Amy, your and your kids will love the sweet sauce. Perhaps to omit the chillies if they aren't into hot stuff. Thanks for coming by, I sneak by your place in a bit :)

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  15. The internet is truly wonderful, I have caught up with many friends this way. Your prawns are so mouth watering!

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    1. Mich, I wonder how many more old classmates I have out there :) Do try the prawns, they are rather good and will go down well with prawn lovers.

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  16. Prawns are certainly my favourite seafood and let me roll up my sleeves now for the prawns, hahaha! Any lemon water set aside? We use it to wash off the seafood smell after eating the prawns!

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    1. Jessie, don't worry, at my house got nice liquid handwash. Hee..hee...

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  17. I am the same, I do not like to get my hand dirty to do the peeling especially in the restaurant, but I still do that sometimes, as I can't resist the prawn...
    This dish look tasty and juicy! I like the sauce

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    1. Stephanie, I am quite terrible as I sometimes rather not eat the prawns or crabs hah! hah! But nobody minds because they get more share :)

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  18. I kove the spicy crab dish, and i kow i will definitely love this!! I have some big frozen prawns in the freezer, courtesy of my MIL, am gonna make this tomorrow! So nice that you got reconnected with your old friend again :)

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    1. Esther, your big frozen prawns will be very laku when you cook this. I suggest you make extra sauce which goes very well with rice. Oh yes, I was happy to find my old friend again. I am sure there are many more out there waiting to be found :)

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  19. Hi Phong Hong,

    Your sweet and spicy prawns look very delicious but the sad thing is I'm allergy to prawns. Even eating the gravy will make my lip go swollen :p Nevermind, at least I can look at your pictures and drool... hee hee!

    Zoe

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    1. Oh dear, Zoe! So you are missing out on prawns, for me I prefer to eat chicken anytime hah! hah!

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  20. WOW.. my kids' faberet.. You serve 2kg pun, definitely they can finish them up.. yours look so mengancam.

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    1. Ogyep, this prawn dish memang mengancam becoz the sauce is very nice. If you cook this dish, you must double the recipe. Kalau tidak nanti tak cukup makan :)

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  21. Wow!!! This is sure a great dish for coming CNY! I bet it taste just as great as it look :)

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    1. Ellena, this dish screams CNY! The colour is appropriate too :)

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  22. Can't say no to this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Veronica, do try it! It would be one of the popular dishes on the dining table :)

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  23. I'm scooping the gravy alone, coz I don't eat prawn. Looks absolutely delish...mouthwatering here...:)

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    1. By the way, Kak Nor has been a wellwisher and very good friend of mine even before I started blogging. So happy to read that you both were classmates! The world is too small :)

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    2. I know, chicken lover right? High 5! Hah! Hah! Glad that you know Nor, she is a really warm person and I love her humour. True, true, we live in a very small world.

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  24. menu udang menjadi kemestian semasa menyambut tahun baru cina.Tahun ni kami bercadang nak masak butter prawn :)

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  25. Hi Phong Hong, I also a huge fan of prawns. Yours look extremely yummy, I want extra rice to go with this....:)

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Amelia, no problem! I will cook extra rice for both of us!

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  26. I am also a huge fan of prawns! Please call me when you're going to cook this lovely prawb dish again :)

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    1. Sure, Ann! I know you will fly right over when the time comes hah! hah!

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  27. I'm a huge fan of prawns and it doesn't matter if they are in the shell our out. My husband is like you and doesn't care for ones with shells. The recipe sounds scrumptious! Thanks for sharing:)!

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    1. Hi Nancy! Prawns are great in salads too and I'm thinking of making a prawn salad pretty soon :)

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  28. Oh! Phong Hong!
    I am late for the hot n spicy Har Har Har...
    I bet It is so delicious that no more left. ..,
    But do you still have egg creamy gravy left...
    Aiyo, your prawns dish is finger licking good!
    mui

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  29. Oops! Too excited again...
    I mean your sweet and spicy prawn :D

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    1. mui mui,I can tell you are a prawn lover! I will gladly let you have my prawns, with extra gravy har! har! Myself, I prefer to eat chicken so if you ask me what I want to eat, it will be siew kai!

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