Asian Recipes - Chinese Curled Prawns Steamed with Five Shreds  Recipe

Ingredients

• 600g large grey prawns in the shell

• 1 egg, well beaten

• 3 dried black mushrooms, soaked for 25 minutes

• 45g canned bamboo shoots, drained and shredded

• 30g cooked ham, shredded

• 2 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and shredded

Seasoning:

• 1/3 tsp salt

• 1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 tsp corn flour

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup enriched or chicken stock

• 2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp corn flour

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Peel the prawns leaving the tail section intact. Place the prawns in a dish with the seasoning ingredients and leave for 15 minutes. Reserve the heads.

2. Wipe out an omelets pan with an oiled cloth and heat to moderate. Pour in the beaten egg and tilt the pan to give a thin even coating. Cook until firm but not colored underneath, turn and cook the other side.

3. Remove and spread on a board to cool. Roll up and cut into narrow shreds. Squeeze the water from the mushrooms and remove the stems. Shred the caps.

4. Cut down the centre backs of the prawns, cutting deep enough to allow the prawns to be pressed out flat. Remove the dark veins.

5. Make a central slit and pass the tails through this so that the prawns are curled up.

6. Arrange the prawns with their heads in a dish and arrange the shredded ingredients on top. Set the dish on a rack in a steamer and steam over high heat for 5 minutes.

7. Remove from the steamer and drain any liquid into a wok. Add the pre-mixed sauce ingredients and bring to the boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then pour over the prawns and serve at once.