Seafood Recipes - King Prawns with Chili and Lemon Grass (Tom Xao Xa Ot)

Ingredients

• 8 king prawns in their shells

• 3 spring onions

• 1 fresh red chili, seeded

• 1 stalk lemon grass

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

• 1/2 tsp salt

• white pepper

• sugar

• 1/4 cup fish stock or water

• 1 tsp corn-flour (cornstarch)

• fresh coriander leaves

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Method:

1. Slit the prawns along the centre back without removing the shells. Gently pull away the dark vein and discard. Trim off the green ends of spring onions and cut the whites in halves lengthwise, then into 2 cm (3/4 inch) pieces.

2. Finely chop the chili and 8 cm (3 inches) of the lower part of the lemon grass stalk.

3. Heat the oil in a pan or wok and stir-fry the prawns until they change color. Add the onions, chili and lemon grass and stir over high heat for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, then mix stock or water and corn-flour (cornstarch) and pour into the pan.

4. Serve at once, garnished with fresh coriander.