MasterChef Champion of Champions 2022 and Wiltshire cookery school owner, Ping Coombes, recreates a steamed prawn recipe inspired by her time in Hong Kong during the MasterChef final
Recipe shared from Ping Coombes’ new book Rice.
Steamed prawns and crispy garlic in prawn oil
These juicy prawns are doused in prawn oil and crispy fried garlic
Serves 2–4
Shell-on prawns 8–10
For the prawn oil
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
For the noodles
Dried glass or mung bean noodles 50g
Crispy garlic 2–3 tsp (find the recipe here)
Seasoned soy sauce 3 tbsp
To serve
Fresh coriander leaves small handful
- Using a pair of scissors, snip off the beards and pointed beak of the prawns, then trim the legs. Peel off the shells, leaving the head and tail intact, and reserve the shells. Lay the prawns flat and, using a sharp knife, cut along the spine and remove the black vein, then butterfly them.
- For the prawn oil: in a small pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat. Fry the prawn shells until golden and caramelised. Drain the oil through a sieve set over a bowl, discard the shells, then return the oil to the pan and set aside.
- For the noodles: place the noodles in a mixing bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to rehydrate for three minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
- Arrange the noodles in a shallow and wide heatproof bowl, spreading them out to cover the base. Place the butterflied prawns on top in a single layer. Scatter the crispy garlic over the prawns and noodles, followed by a drizzle of seasoned soy sauce.
- For the prawns: place a wok on the hob and add enough water to create steam without touching the food. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Set a bamboo steamer inside the wok, place the heatproof bowl inside, cover with the lid and steam for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a simmer rather than a rolling boil. Check the water level regularly so it doesn’t boil dry.
- Reheat the prawn oil over a high heat until smoking hot, then pour it over the steamed prawns – they should sizzle.
- To serve: scatter the coriander leaves over the top.
You will need
Shell-on prawns 8–10
For the prawn oil
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
For the noodles
Dried glass or mung bean noodles 50g
Crispy garlic 2–3 tsp (find the recipe here)
Seasoned soy sauce 3 tbsp
To serve
Fresh coriander leaves small handful
Method
- Using a pair of scissors, snip off the beards and pointed beak of the prawns, then trim the legs. Peel off the shells, leaving the head and tail intact, and reserve the shells. Lay the prawns flat and, using a sharp knife, cut along the spine and remove the black vein, then butterfly them.
- For the prawn oil: in a small pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat. Fry the prawn shells until golden and caramelised. Drain the oil through a sieve set over a bowl, discard the shells, then return the oil to the pan and set aside.
- For the noodles: place the noodles in a mixing bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to rehydrate for three minutes, then drain and rinse under cold running water.
- Arrange the noodles in a shallow and wide heatproof bowl, spreading them out to cover the base. Place the butterflied prawns on top in a single layer. Scatter the crispy garlic over the prawns and noodles, followed by a drizzle of seasoned soy sauce.
- For the prawns: place a wok on the hob and add enough water to create steam without touching the food. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Set a bamboo steamer inside the wok, place the heatproof bowl inside, cover with the lid and steam for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a simmer rather than a rolling boil. Check the water level regularly so it doesn’t boil dry.
- Reheat the prawn oil over a high heat until smoking hot, then pour it over the steamed prawns – they should sizzle.
- To serve: scatter the coriander leaves over the top.
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