Fried Prawn Balls 百花釀蝦球

Ingredients

• 350 g Tiger prawns (headless (approx. 20 prawns))
• 300 g Shrimp paste
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Panko
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 600 ml Oil

Steps

1. 1

   Remove the shell of the prawns, leaving only the tail shell intact

2. 2

   Rinse the prawns

3. 3

   Butterfly the prawns by making a cut from the back without cutting through to the front

4. 4

   Devein and open the prawns onto a flat surface. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all the prawns

5. 5

   Prepare 2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl

6. 6

   Beat an egg in a bowl

7. 7

   Prepare 1 cup of panko in a medium size mixing bowl

8. 8

   Have your shrimp paste ready for use

9. 9

   Take one prawn and use your finger to rub some cornstarch over the side facing up

10. 10

    Use a small spoon to spread shrimp paste onto the prawn. Use your finger or spoon to pat and shape in onto the prawn.

11. 11

    Repeat steps 9 and 10 for all the prawns

12. 12

    Dip the stuffed prawn into the egg by hold the tail. Try not to get egg on the tail

13. 13

    Put the egg dipped prawn into the panko. Use a spoon to spoon the panko on the whole surface of the prawn except for the tail

14. 14

    Leave the prawn in the panko until you’re ready to deep-fry. Repeat for all the prawns

15. 15

    Heat 600 ml oil to 150˚C or 300˚F The amount of oil depends on the size of your pot. If you have a smaller pot, then you won’t need as much oil but you may have to fry the prawns in separate batches

16. 16

    Put the prawns into the oil. Do not overcrowd the pot. By doing so, you will not get the golden color in 3 minutes. Cooking it for longer may lead to over-cooking the prawns

17. 17

    Fry for approx. 3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oil and let it rest on a cooling rack

18. 18

    Continue frying until all the prawns are fried If you were frying them in batches, after the last batch, you can put the oil up to 175˚C or 350˚F and fry the prawns again to heat them up for 1 minute. This time, you can put more into the pot since they were warm already. This will ensure that all the prawns are nice and hot when you serve them

19. 19

    Place on serving plate. This dish can be served with sweet and sour sauce, Thai chili sauce or Chinese red vinegar

20. 20

    Serve