These are great for sharing as a pre-dinner snack. The best candidates are the sea-water prawns have a much better taste than fresh water, and the biggest you can find.
Serves 2
- 250g large headless raw tiger prawns in the shell,
- 2 tbsp light (untoasted) sesame oil,
- 1 tsp sea salt,
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed,
- Half bunch of spring onions, trimmed,
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed,
- 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped.
- Remove the shells from the prawns, leaving the tails on.
- With a sharp serrated knife, cut down the back of the prawns about 5mm into the flesh and give them a rinse under cold running water to remove the black intestinal vein, then pat dry on some kitchen paper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a wok or heavy-based frying pan and fry the prawns on a high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the salt and Sichuan peppercorns, and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, stirring every so often.
- Remove the prawns from the pan and keep them warm.
- Heat the rest of the sesame oil in the same pan and fry the spring onions, garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
- Add the prawns to the pan, stir well and serve immediately.