Light Bites Recipes - Fried Prawn Balls Recipe

Ingredients

• 150g/5oz raw prawns (shrimp), peeled  

• 75ml/5 tbsp freshly made dashi kombu and bonito stock) or instant dashi

• 1 large (US extra large) egg white, well beaten

• 30ml/2 tbsp sake

• 15ml/1 tbsp corn flour (cornstarch)

• 1.5ml/1/4 tsp salt

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

To serve:

• 25ml/1 1/2 tbsp ground sea salt

• 2.5ml/1/2 tsp sansho

• 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Makes about 14

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Method:

1. Mix the prawns, dashi stock, beaten egg white. sake. corn flour and salt in a food processor or blender; and process until smooth. Scrape from the mixture into a small mixing bowl.

2. In a wok or small pan, heat the vegetable oil to 175°C/347°F.

3. Take two dessertspoons and wet them with a little vegetable oil. Scoop about 30ml/2 tbsp prawn-ball paste into the spoons and form a small ball.

4. Carefully plunge the ball into the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned. Drain on a wire rack. Repeat this process, one at a time, until all the prawn-ball paste is used.

5. Mix the salt and sansho on a small plate. Serve the fried prawn balls on a large serving platter or on four serving plates.

6. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve hot with the sansho salt.

Note: When the moon waxes in September, the Japanese celebrate the arrival of autumn by making an offering to the moon. The dishes offered, such as tiny rice dumplings, sweet chestnuts and these Shinjyo, should all be round in shape.

Cook's Tip: Sansho is ground spice mode from the dried pod of the prickly ash. Serve the sansho and salt in separate mounds if you like.