Braised Prawns Szechuan Style

What’s Chinese New Year without a prawn dish, right? I decided to try this simple recipe making use of chili bean paste, a spicy bean paste that’s famous in Szechuan cuisine. In Chinese, it’s called 豆瓣醬 (toban jiang) and is made from broad beans instead of soy beans. This paste is easily available in Chinese sundry shop. I won’t be making Chinese New Year cookies this year but I might try my hand on huat kueh later. Will share if I achieve my expectation. My sis on the other hand, might bake an old new cookie. It’s an old regular cookie recipe but we have not attempted it before so new for us. 🙂 Will share too if she really did make it. So let’s go back to this prawn recipe which is very easy to whip up.

Lovely braised prawns dish!

Let’s cook.

Cut the prawn’s back to remove the vein, but leave the shell intact. Rinse with cold water and dry the prawns with kitchen towel. The recipe asks for king prawns but I’m only using medium sized prawns as they are the ones I have in the fridge.

Finely chopped ginger and garlic. Background is chopped spring onion.

Heat oil in a wok and cook the prawns until bright orange for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

The main ingredient for this dish: Chili bean paste or toban jiang 豆瓣醬. Funnily this toban jiang is made from both broad beans and soy beans.

Oh mama… what a gorgeous looking chili bean paste. It smells so heavenly of the beans and chili.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the wok and stir-fry the chili bean paste over low heat for about a minute.

Add prawns, ginger, garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and stock (I use water instead because the toban jiang is quite salty already). Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Cook for around 3-4 minutes while stirring frequently. Lastly, add rice vinegar. Add spring onions once most liquid has evaporated. Serve warm with coriander leaves as garnish. That’s it. Easy huh?

Due to the chili bean paste, it’s a little bit salty. Thing is it’s not as spicy as I thought it would be. This dish is best eaten with rice.

Best part of eating this dish? When you suck out all the juice trapped in the shell. Don’t worry if you’re making suckling sound. The Chinese won’t mind. 😉

Braised Prawns Szechuan Style
Adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Deh-Ta Hsiung
Serves 4

300g uncooked and unpeeled king prawns with heads still attached
Oil for deep-frying
1 1/2 tablespoons chili bean paste (toban jiang)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
About 115ml stock (I use water instead since the bean paste is quite salty)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon spring onion, chopped
coriander leaves to garnish, optional

Method:
1. Cut the back of the prawn to remove the vein, but leave the shell intact. Rinse with cold water and dry the prawns with kitchen towel.

2. Heat the oil and fry the prawns for about 2 minutes or until they are bright orange. Remove and set aside.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the wok and stir-fry the chili bean paste over low heat for about a minute. Then add the prawns, ginger, garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and water (or stock). Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Cook for about 3-4 minutes while stirring frequently.

4. Add rice vinegar. When most of the liquid has evaporated, add spring onions. Serve warm and add coriander leaves for garnish.

Enjoy!