This recipe comes from Mrs Choong, Alexandra’s neighbour when she lived in Ipoh. Mrs Choong has ten children, and as anyone with kids can attest to, she had to be resourceful and creative in the kitchen. Her youngest son, Mark, told Alexandra that he and his siblings grew up eating this simple dish with hot rice. Between the char of the crispy shallots, the umami of the soy sauce, and the sweetness of the prawns, one really doesn’t need anything else.
Tableware by Ilham Ceramic Studio.
Shallot prawns
by Alexandra WongThis recipe comes from Mrs Choong, Alexandra’s neighbour when she lived in Ipoh. Mrs Choong has ten children, and as anyone with kids can attest to, she had to be resourceful and creative in the kitchen. Her youngest son, Mark, told Alexandra that he and his siblings grew up eating this simple dish with hot rice. Between the char of the crispy shallots, the umami of the soy sauce, and the sweetness of the prawns, one really doesn’t need anything else.
Tableware by Ilham Ceramic Studio.
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Ingredients
Neutral oil for frying (eg vegetable, corn, canola)
8-10 shallots, thinly sliced
400g medium prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Directions
- Heat a wok over medium heat. Add about 3 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add sliced shallots and fry until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, set the fried shallots aside, keeping the reserved oil in the wok.
- Add prawns to the reserved oil in the wok and stir fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until almost fully cooked.
- Add the soy sauce and return the fried shallots to the wok. Mix quickly and serve hot while the shallots are still crispy.
Tips
- Smaller prawns work better because the smaller surface area means the prawn meat can absorb as much of the shallot-flavoured oil and soya sauce as possible.
- As there are very few ingredients, their natural flavours need to shine through, so using a neutral oil is important. Olive oil or coconut oil will overpower the other ingredients.
- The key is a generous amount of shallots, and getting the shallots to an ideal level of doneness. The shallots will go from golden to burnt in a blink of an eye, so lift the shallots from the oil when it is slightly lighter than the shade of gold required, and the shallots will finish cooking in the residual heat.
- Don’t be tempted to use store bought fried shallots—the beauty of this dish comes from the shallot oil which gets its deep flavour from frying the shallots from scratch.
- The prawns can be pre-marinated with a generous pinch of salt.
- A few drops of sesame oil can be added at the end for aroma.
Ingredients
Neutral oil for frying (eg vegetable, corn, canola)
8-10 shallots, thinly sliced
400g medium prawns, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Directions
- Heat a wok over medium heat. Add about 3 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add sliced shallots and fry until golden and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, set the fried shallots aside, keeping the reserved oil in the wok.
- Add prawns to the reserved oil in the wok and stir fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until almost fully cooked.
- Add the soy sauce and return the fried shallots to the wok. Mix quickly and serve hot while the shallots are still crispy.
Tips
- Smaller prawns work better because the smaller surface area means the prawn meat can absorb as much of the shallot-flavoured oil and soya sauce as possible.
- As there are very few ingredients, their natural flavours need to shine through, so using a neutral oil is important. Olive oil or coconut oil will overpower the other ingredients.
- The key is a generous amount of shallots, and getting the shallots to an ideal level of doneness. The shallots will go from golden to burnt in a blink of an eye, so lift the shallots from the oil when it is slightly lighter than the shade of gold required, and the shallots will finish cooking in the residual heat.
- Don’t be tempted to use store bought fried shallots—the beauty of this dish comes from the shallot oil which gets its deep flavour from frying the shallots from scratch.
- The prawns can be pre-marinated with a generous pinch of salt.
- A few drops of sesame oil can be added at the end for aroma.
