Recipe: Salt and Pepper Prawns (Jiao Yan Xia)

Salt and Pepper Prawns (Jiao Yan Xia)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb large prawns, shells on and deveined

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

½ cu cornstarch

4 cu vegetable oil, for frying

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp green onions, sliced

1 small red chili, thinly sliced (optional)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp white pepper

¼ tsp sugar

Mix the salt, black pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl.

Toss the prawns in the cornstarch mixture until they are well coated.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

Carefully add the prawns to the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Pour out most of the oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon.

In the same pan, sauté the garlic, green onions, and red chili (if using) for about 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add the fried prawns back into the pan.

Sprinkle the seasoning mix of salt, white pepper, and sugar over the prawns and toss to combine.

Serve the prawns hot, garnished with additional green onions if desired.