Oil-Braised Prawns

Ingredients

• Black tiger prawns or king prawns
• Scallion, ginger
• Shaoxing cooking wine, salt, rock sugar, vegetable oil

Steps

1. Trim the prawn's head spike down to the base, cut off the feelers and legs, remove the sand sac, butterfly the back and pull out the vein; rinse and set aside.
2. Make the aromatic oil.
3. When the oil is about 30% hot (warm), add the Sichuan peppercorns; once the oil is hot, take it off the heat and add the scallion and ginger (ideally without letting the oil darken). When the scallion turns slightly yellow, strain the oil (extra scallion oil can be kept for tossing noodles).
4. Add oil, arrange the prawns neatly, and once both sides change color, gently press the prawn heads.
5. Add the ginger bits (ginger cut into fine grains).
6. 30 g yellow wine (Shaoxing wine)
7. Two small bowls of water
8. 3 g salt
9. 10 g rock sugar
10. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low, cover and braise (do not add more liquid midway and do not lift the lid).
11. When the shells are glossy and the prawns curled, take them out and arrange them on a plate.
12. Reduce the sauce (strain it back into the wok to thicken, add the scallion oil) until about 1/4 of the liquid remains.
13. Pour the sauce over the prawns.
14. Done.
15. Dig in ✅