Cook at home Kung Pao Prawns

If you fancy takeaway vibes but prefer to cook it yourself at home, try this very simple recipe for Kung Pao prawns courtesy of Olive Magazine with my personal variation. You can buy the prawns from Viviers UK in Camber Dock in Old Portsmouth.

The dish allegedly received its name because it was frequently served to Dīng Bǎozhēn (1820-86), a Qing dynasty official who served as the governor of Sichuan province from 1876 to 1886. His unofficial title was gōng bǎo, meaning 'palace guardian'.

The Sichuan peppercorns used in this dish gives a distinctive aroma and flavour. You can find the Sichuan pepper easily at the local Chinese grocery stores.

The recipe takes 10 minutes to cook and for 2 people requires:

150g raw prawns (300g in shell yields 150g, or 14 prawns)
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
2 tablespoon cashew nuts
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
4 spring onion, sliced

For the sauce, mix the following:
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
100 ml water

Heat the pan and fry the cashew dry for a couple of minutes. Remove. Heat the oil and fry the ginger, garlic, spring onions, chilli and Sichuan pepper for 2 minutes. Then add the sauce, prawns and cashew nuts and cook for 3 minutes, or until the prawns are pink and cooked. The sauce should also be lightly thick.

Serve with fluffy plain rice and simply fried vegetables like bak choy or broccoli.

It's quite spicy, but delightful!

Comments

‘Southsea dinosaur’ returns

Luna Park 2021, an eagerly anticipated new public artwork for Portsmouth designed by internationally renowned artists Ivan Morison and Heather Peak of Studio Morison will be launched on 2 October 2021 on a celebratory day in Southsea Common. The 1.4 metres bronze sculpture is a tribute to the original 53-foot high 2010 artwork Luna Park, which tragically burned down on Southsea Common. The artists will unveil a new sculpture that responds to ten years of public demand to ‘bring back the Southsea Dinosaur’. The new public artwork will be located within a direct sightline to the position of the original Luna Park sculpture. It will sit on top of a fossil Portland stone plinth with a QR code which when scanned with a smartphone will connect to an Augmented Reality experience. People will be transported to a digital rendering of the original artwork, seemingly standing life-size in front of them on Southsea Common. Viewers will also be able to use their mobile devices to visit a...

Delicious thinly sliced pork in Korean marinade

Sometimes you found a recipe and wrote it down on a piece of paper to try it out. Having done that, you forget where the recipe came from. Likewise this Korean recipe for pork, which turned out to be so delicious we have cooked it for everyone. The marinade is simple to make and yet really packed with flavours. For the Korean marinade you need 3 garlic cloves 1/2 brown onion 1/2 a pear or apple Blitz these ingredients together and then add 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikkoman) 3 tablespoons caster sugar 2 tablespoons sesame oil 3 tablespoons mirin black pepper For dinner for 2 people, 200g pork tenderloin is enough. Slice this thinly, and bash it to an even thinner piece with a meat mallet. Marinade in the sauce and leave it in the fridge for an hour. Then heat a frying pan on medium heat with a teaspoon of vegetable oil and fry the thin pork pieces until browned. You want some of the edges of the meat to be dark brown and caramelised, if you can. Don't cook too many pieces or ...

The irresistible attraction of Sherlock Holmes

The silhouette of Sherlock Holmes, with his deerstalker hat, pipe and magnifying glass, is instantly recognisable. The stories have been translated into many languages, and new stories are always being written. All over the world actors have made their name by playing the famous – and infinitely malleable – detective, and groups meet to discuss and dress as characters from the stories. But what is behind this extraordinary attraction to the character of Holmes? Go along to the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre, to listen to Michael Gunton, Senior Archivist at Portsmouth City Library, who will explore some of the reasons for our enduring fascination with Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps due to the hugely popular television series starting Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Holmes is often mistaken for a historical figure, rather than a fictional creation. An extensive collection of items relating to Conan Doyle is housed in the Library’s second floor history suite, and M...

SouthseaScene

Search This Blog