Butter Prawns

Ingredients

Prawns

• 500 g large prawns, shell on, legs and feelers trimmed, deveined
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 500 ml (2 cups) cooking oil, for frying

Butter egg floss

• 60 g butter
• 3 sprigs curry leaves
• 3 bird's eye chillies, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 egg yolks, beaten well
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method

1. Pat the prawns dry, then toss them with the salt, white pepper and cornflour until lightly coated.
2. Heat the oil in a wok to 180°C (350°F). Fry the prawns in two batches for 2 minutes each until pink and crisp. Drain on paper towels and pour the oil out of the wok.
3. Melt the butter in the wok over low heat until it foams. Add the curry leaves, chillies and garlic and fry for 1 minute until the leaves crackle and smell fragrant.
4. Keep the heat low. Pour the beaten yolks into the butter in a thin stream from a height while whisking constantly with a pair of chopsticks or a whisk, so the yolk sets into fine threads.
5. Keep stirring for 3–4 minutes until the floss turns golden and crisp and most of the butter has been absorbed. Sprinkle in the sugar and salt.
6. Return the prawns to the wok and toss for 30 seconds until they are covered in floss. Serve at once while the floss is crunchy.

Tips

• Fluffy floss: the slower and thinner you pour the yolk, and the faster you whisk, the finer and lighter the floss.
• Creamy butter prawns: skip the floss; after step 3, add 120 ml evaporated milk and 1 tsp sugar, simmer for 1 minute until slightly thick, and toss the prawns in it.
• Cereal butter prawns: add 40 g unsweetened crisp rice cereal and 1 tbsp milk powder with the sugar in step 5.
• Peeled prawns: you can peel the prawns, leaving the tails on; fry them for only 1 1/2 minutes.