Prawns with Chilli Bean Sauce and Fresh Coriander

Made this prawn dish for our weeknight dinner. It was so yummy, that by the time dinner was over, the plate was totally clean, even to the last bit of the remaining sticky sauce!

Get medium to large prawns for this dish.

Yum! Yum! The thick sticky gravy is so delicious eaten with rice. There's not much gravy, but whatever there is, was scrapped off clean!

A family favourite!

Prawns with Chilli Bean Sauce and Fresh Coriander
(recipe by Kitchen Flavours)
600gm medium to large prawns
1 heaped tablespoon chilli bean sauce
1 heaped tablespoon plum sauce
1 tablespoon sugar, to taste
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
1/4 tsp black soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped (optional)
generous bunch of fresh coriander leaves and young stems, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

Prepare the prawns :

Trim off legs and feelers, leaving shells intact. Make a short slit along the back to remove the black vein.  I removed the eyes by trimming off the top part of the head at a diagonal just after the eyes (optional, but I always do this when I cook prawns with the head intact). Rinse and drain. Marinate prawns with 1 teaspoon sugar, set aside. 

For the sauce :

Mix chilli bean sauce, plum sauce, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, black soy sauce, water and cornflour solution in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Should be a little salty and sweet.

To cook :

Heat some oil to shallow fry the prawns on both sides in a single layer, until prawns are cooked and shells lightly crisp, about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove to a plate, keep aside. You may need to do this in a few batches. Reserve 2 tablespoons oil. 

In a clean wok or saucepan, heat about 2 tablespoons of the oil from above. Saute the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped chilli, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce mixture. Let it bubble for a minute and thickens slightly. Taste and adjust accordingly. (you might need to add a little sugar or chilli bean paste or the plum sauce, to taste). 

Add the fried prawns, and stir till the prawns are coated with the sauce. Stir in the chopped fresh coriander, dish up to a serving plate and serve hot. Enjoy!