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!

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