Drunken Prawns
This recipe is the creation of Melissa King, a chef, entrepreneur, television personality and activist known for her unique style of cooking that blends modern California cuisine with Chinese ingredients and techniques. The prawns are perfect for sharing with loved ones during a Lunar New Year celebration, she says. As their name suggests, the “drunken” shellfish are first marinated in Shaoxing wine, a rice wine commonly used in Chinese cooking. Then they’re quickly cooked in a pot with chicken stock and more wine infused with garlic, ginger and tangy-sweet goji berries. Serve Melissa’s sweet soy sauce alongside for dipping.
Ingredients
For the sweet soy sauce:
- 1 medium garlic clove, grated
- 1-by-1-inch (2.5-by-2.5-cm) knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 small scallion, minced
- Pinch of finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Finely chopped fresh hot chiles, such as Thai or jalapeño, to taste
- 2 Tbs. canola oil
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) Chinese dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) sugar
- 2 Tbs. Chinese light soy sauce
- 2 Tbs. Shaoxing wine
- Toasted sesame oil for drizzling
For the prawns:
- 12 head-on, shell-on spot prawns
- 3 cups (24 fl. oz./750 ml) Shaoxing wine
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) unsalted chicken stock or water
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) water
- Kosher salt
- 2 Tbs. dried goji berries
- 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed and peeled
- 3-by-1-inch (7.5-by-2.5-cm) knob fresh ginger, sliced
Directions
To prepare the sauce, in a medium heatproof serving bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, scallion, cilantro and chiles and stir. In a small saucepan over high heat, warm the canola oil and wait for it to start smoking, about 1 minute. Pour it evenly and quickly over the scallion mixture (it will bubble and sizzle), then immediately stir well.
In the same pan, combine the dark soy sauce, sugar, light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to cook at a moderate simmer until thickened to the consistency of warm maple syrup, about 3 minutes.
Pour the hot soy sauce mixture over the scallion mixture and add a drizzle of sesame oil, then stir and set aside.
To prepare the prawns, in a medium bowl, combine the prawns and 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) of the Shaoxing wine and toss to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
In a large pot, combine the stock, water, 2 Tbs. salt, the goji berries, scallions, garlic and ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes to infuse the flavors. Pour in the remaining 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) Shaoxing wine, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Add the prawns to the pot, discarding the marinade, and immediately cover the pot. Wait 1 minute, then stir and cook uncovered until the prawn flesh looks opaque and the shells turn vibrant pink, about 1 minute more.
Using a spider or a slotted spoon, transfer the prawns to a serving plate, discarding what’s left, and serve immediately with the sauce alongside. Serves 4.
Recipe courtesy of Melissa King