Pictorial: Pan-Fried Prawns w/ Superior Soy Sauce

[hzrt8w]

Pan-Fried Prawns with Superior Soy Sauce (豉油王煎虾)

I bought some large spot prawns from the market. Tonight, I wanted to make a pan-fried prawns with "King of soy sauce" (Superior Soy Sauce) - which is a light soy sauce. My favoriate brand is Pearl River Bridge. This dish is offered in some Hong Kong style seafood restaurants.

Picture of the spot prawns. The ingredients are very simple. All you need is some light soy sauce and garlic, and a little bit of Xiao Shing cooking wine.

You need to be careful with these spot prawns. They have a sharp, jagged "horn" at the front of the head. It can poke through your skin when you try to handle it during cooking. Very painful. Better use a pair of scissors to trim off the "horn" and the fillers, and some of the legs before cooking.

Use a pan/wok, add a fair amount of cooking oil in medium heat, add the prawns and cook them first. It's done when the prawn color has turned from grey to bright red. Remove prawns from the pan and drain the excess oil and moisture from the prawns.

Mince about 4 to 5 cloves of garlic.

On the same pan (no need to wash), now set the flame to high, add cooking oil, wait until it is almost fuming, add the minced garlic. Cook for 20 seconds. Stir.

Re-add the prawns. Cooking until the prawns have coated the cooking oil and got hot, about 2 to 3 minutes over high heat.

Dash in the light soy sauce. About 3 tblsp - adjust to your taste. Stir.

As a finishing touch (an important one), dash in about 1 tblsp of Xian Shing cooking wine. Stir for about 30 seconds until the wine and soy sauce dry up.

The finished dish.

[Tepee]

<Drawing in breath> I'm allergic to prawns (still eat them) but I'm really doing serious damage to my keyboard now.........droooooolllllll.

[mizducky]

Looks gorgeous!

I have a "dumb" question, though: I never know, with various Chinese shrimp/prawn dishes in which the shells are left on, whether or not to eat the critters shells and all. So--how about with this recipe? And is there a general rule of thumb? (Oops, I guess that's two questions ...)

Help save me from prawn ettiquette purgatory here!

[Yuki]

Looks gorgeous!

I have a "dumb" question, though: I never know, with various Chinese shrimp/prawn dishes in which the shells are left on, whether or not to eat the critters shells and all. So--how about with this recipe? And is there a general rule of thumb? (Oops, I guess that's two questions ...)

Help save me from prawn ettiquette purgatory here!   

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For this recipe, I probably won't eat the shell since it should still be quite hard but I will be licking the shells for all those yummy flavor before peeling them.

Whether you can eat the shell or not, it depends on the type of shrimp and the method of cooking. If the shrimp is fried till the shell is crispy then I would eat everything. If the shell is too hard or there is little flavor on them then I would discard the shell. Just follow your common sense and don't try to eat something that your will bring harm to your mouth and stomach.

[Tepee]

First you bite the head off, then you suck the juice out, then you throw the shells awayyyyy...............

Seriously, when done like this, throw what etiquette away. No problem in a chinese home or restaurant. Although, it is perfectly acceptable to eat with your fingers, I've developed a very efficient way of peeling the shells with whatever cutlery on hand. Make sure you don't waste those sweet juices now. Slurpilicious! Only etiquette...don't drink out of the finger bowl.

Edited October 5, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[hzrt8w]

I have a "dumb" question, though: I never know, with various Chinese shrimp/prawn dishes in which the shells are left on, whether or not to eat the critters shells and all. So--how about with this recipe? And is there a general rule of thumb? (Oops, I guess that's two questions ...)

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Out of the few popular Cantonese style shrimp/prawn dishes which are cooked with shells on that you would find in US Chinese restaurants:

- Boiled shrimp

- Shrimp with salt and pepper

- Shrimp steamed with garlic

- Pan-fried shrimp with soy sauce (this one)

Only the shells from the "shrimp with salt and pepper" are worth eating. It's because typically (in restaurants) those shrimps are deep-fried with light batter first. Therefore, like Yuki said, the shells become crispy and jaw-friendly. All other methods without deep-frying, the shrimp shells are too hard. (Same rules for eating fish fins - deep-fried: okay; steamed: don't)

And in this dish, yes, the shells are worth licking first before peeling.

[hzrt8w]

As a finishing touch (an important one), dash in about 1 tblsp of Xiao Shing cooking wine.  Stir for about 30 seconds until the wine and soy sauce dry up.

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Forgot to mention: for this finishing touch... if you don't have any Xiao Shing cooking wine, you may use brandy. The higher the grade the marrier.

For best result if you have a strong cooking stove... tilt the pan/wok slightly when you dash in the cooking wine or brandy. Let the flame flare.

[Tepee]

I can imagine showmanship features very much in your cooking style!

[hzrt8w]

I can imagine showmanship features very much in your cooking style!

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I have learned a few things from a Malaysian-Chinese food artist, who likes to line up blanched vegetables for presentation...

[Tepee]

pei chee pei chee

[Pan]

Wow, I want to eat that NOW, and it's 5:10 in the morning. Good night.

[Dejah]

First you bite the head off, then you suck the juice out, then you throw the shells awayyyyy...............

Seriously, when done like this, throw what etiquette away. No problem in a chinese home or restaurant. Although, it is perfectly acceptable to eat with your fingers, I've developed a very efficient way of peeling the shells with whatever cutlery on hand. Make sure you don't waste those sweet juices now. Slurpilicious! Only etiquette...don't drink out of the finger bowl.

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What? Cutlery? You mean you don't bite the head off, suck out the juice, pop the whole shrimp into your mouth, suck the juice off the shell, roll the shrimp around catching the shell with your tongue and teeth to peel the shrimp, spit the shell out, eat the meat? It takes practice. Hubby still uses his fingers. My brother and I are the only ones in the family who eats shrimp in the shell this way.

[Tepee]

...Hubby still uses his fingers. My brother and I are the only ones in the family who eats shrimp in the shell this way.

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Even for good-sized prawns (as we call it)? Either you have a big....whoops!...

Well, my eldest brother and I are the only ones in the family who eats shrimp in the shell with cutlery.

Edited October 5, 2005 by Tepee (log)

[mizducky]

First you bite the head off, then you suck the juice out, then you throw the shells awayyyyy...............

Seriously, when done like this, throw what etiquette away. No problem in a chinese home or restaurant. Although, it is perfectly acceptable to eat with your fingers, I've developed a very efficient way of peeling the shells with whatever cutlery on hand. Make sure you don't waste those sweet juices now. Slurpilicious! Only etiquette...don't drink out of the finger bowl.

←

What? Cutlery? You mean you don't bite the head off, suck out the juice, pop the whole shrimp into your mouth, suck the juice off the shell, roll the shrimp around catching the shell with your tongue and teeth to peel the shrimp, spit the shell out, eat the meat? It takes practice. Hubby still uses his fingers. My brother and I are the only ones in the family who eats shrimp in the shell this way.

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Thank you. I am now duly reassured that pretty much anything goes in the pursuit of the yummy bits short of causing bodily harm to either myself or bystanders.