SALT&PEPPER TIGER PRAWNS
2 min readThis is one dish that I stole from my dad’s restaurant menu，only my version differs in two ways:first，it is completely free of MSG，and second，I use large shell-on tiger prawns so that one can rip the heads off and suck all the brains out before moving on to the flesh.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
4 raw large tiger prawns in their shells vegetable oil，for deep-frying，plus 1 tablespoon white parts of 2 spring onions，finely sliced green part of 1 spring onion，finely sliced
2 red chillies，finely sliced
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
12 teaspoon Five-spice Salt drizzle of sesame oil
1.The only prep you need to do to the prawns is to remove the usually black thread，which is the intestinal tract.The easiest way to do this is to use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut through the shell down the back of each prawn，then use a sharp knife to make an incision 1mm deep down the spine and pull out the thread.
2.Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer to180℃.
3.Deep-fry the prawns until the internal temperature reaches 45C，when they will be 80 per cent cooked and will have just turned pink.Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
4.Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a hot wok，and when the pan starts to smoke a little，add the spring onion whites and greens，and chillies，which will begin to sizzle vigorously.
5.Add the prawns，followed by the wine and mix well in the wok.This won’t take longer thana minute.
6.Finish with the Five-spice Salt and sesame oil and serve immediately.
CHEF’S TIP
Instead of deep-frying the prawns you can alternatively cook them under a hot grill to the same degree of doneness，in which case you can insert a bamboo skewer（best presoaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning）into the tail end of each prawn to make turning over halfway through easier.
