Prawn and Broccolini Stir-Fry

 

This is a quick and easy dish, for any night of the week. If you are a lover of Prawns, this recipe is for you, but if you're not, please don't be disheartened. You can play with it, and substitute some chicken or tofu pieces for the prawns and you will still love the result.  This is a very versatile recipe, other vegetables can be substituted or added, and when it comes to eating your dish, you will think you have just been served a meal in your favourite Chinese restaurant. Promise! It will cost you a lot less as well.

 I grew up in Rockhampton in Central Queensland, swimming most weekends at the beaches of Yeppoon and Emu Park on the Capricorn Coast, between the flags of course, and sometimes eating fresh seafood caught in the nearby Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. The fishing and prawn trawlers would bring their catch in for sale off the boats. I developed a love of fresh local seafood from an early age, which has never left me. 

When we swam in the ocean, and as young kids also built sandcastles on the beautiful clean beaches, it was always before 10 am in the morning, and after 3 pm in the afternoon to avoid the hot sun. That rule has always stuck with me, and consequently we never got sunburnt. Even back then my Mum was a stickler for Slip (put on a shirt), Slop (apply sunscreen), Slap (wear a broad-brimmed hat), and staying out of the sun in the middle of the day. With Australia Day fast approaching on the 26th January, when people traditionally flock to the beaches, I hope they remember those warnings. Sunburn is no fun.

Apologies for this post to those of my readers who are allergic to prawns, I know who some of you are and I know you probably won't delve into this recipe at all. However, I really encourage you to try it with chicken or tofu, or even fish. When cooking, I always try to prepare as many of the elements as I can in advance to take the heat off when I actually start cooking. That is the beauty of an Asian recipe like this one, most of the wok work is done before you even start cooking. The Stir Fry sauce can be made in advance, cashews can be toasted the day before, and spring onions and broccolini can be chopped and stored covered in the frig the day before cooking. The prawns can also be peeled and prepared the day before, and kept refrigerated, if you are organised enough. I generally don't buy frozen prawns already peeled and cleaned, as we have access to such great prawns in the tropics, however for convenience when cooking a dish like this I think it can be a good idea. Good quality pre-prepared prawn flesh is now very accessible from supermarkets.

This recipe appeared on a Bite to Eat with Alice (Alice Zaslavsky), a new nightly cooking show on ABC iview, and weeknights at 6pm on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission.) TV. Being a prawn lover, I knew I had to make it. Green vegetables and prawns in one very tasty dish, what could be better. I ate it with my eyes while I was watching the show, it looked so attractive. 

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Prep. time: 10 minutes

250 g peeled and deveined raw Aussie prawns, with tails left on (the bigger the  prawns the better)

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

3cm sized knob fresh ginger, peeled

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine ( we used to use sherry)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)

1/2 cup (125ml) water, plus an extra 1/2 cup (125ml) water on standby

1 cup (150 g) raw cashew nuts

2 tablespoons neutral oil ( such as peanut oil)

2 very fresh bunches broccolini, cut into 5cm lengths, and the stems split for even cooking

5 spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths (use the whole thing) 

Spring onion to serve, thinly sliced 5 cm lengths

Method:

Velvet the Prawns

Why are we velveting the prawns? The Bi-carbonate of soda creates a chemical reaction with the protein in the meat, and helps make everything extra bouncy and tender. It also works with chicken. This is an optional step, and if you can't be bothered doing it, that's fine, the dish will still taste great. However, appearance wise, the prawns will curl up as a result of the velveting process and look just like they do in a Chinese restaurant meal. Remove the heads, devein and peel the prawns, leaving the tails on. Slice the prawns in half lengthwise through the centre just to the tail, not through the tail,  and give all the prawns a sprinkle with the Bicarbonate of soda and a light massage into the flesh. Leave them to rest for 15 minutes. 

Toasting your Cashew Nuts:

I don't have a wok, ours needed to be discarded fairly recently. We will replace it at some stage, but a dish like this one can be prepared in a high-sided pan on the stove. I toast my cashew nuts in the same pan I use to cook the prawns. Cook them dry in the pan or wok until they become golden, this is essential to the flavour. Use a medium heat so they don't burn, and please don't be distracted and leave the side of the stove until they are cooked to your satisfaction. Nuts burn very quickly. Remove them from the pan and reserve for later. If you are cooking the cashews in advance, ensure they are cool before storing so that they don't sweat.

Preparing the Stir Fry Sauce:

Grate finely all the garlic, and half the ginger. Grab the other ginger half, and slice into rough chunks and set aside for later.

Into a bowl, whisk together the grated ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, cornflour and 1/2 cup (125 ml) water until combined. This is your stir fry sauce for later.

Rinse the Bicarbonate of soda from your prawns gently in a colander and pat dry with some paper towel. Or I have a tea towel that I use just for jobs like this. Place your prawns on one half of the towel, and fold the other half over the prawns. The tea towel will soak up the moisture well.

Let's Stir Fry:

Heat your large pan or wok with 1 tablespoon of the oil until very hot. Add the prawn meat, and stir fry for 30-60 seconds, until the prawns just change colour, which can be very subtle. But it will happen within 60 seconds. 

Remove the prawns from the pan/wok and set aside. 

Carefully wipe out the pan with some paper towel and reheat the remaining oil (one tablespoon).

Prepare the broccolini and spring onion:

Boil the kettle. Please trust me.

We are going to speed blanche the broccolini and spring onion. Place the prepared broccolini and spring onion pieces into a colander sitting in a bowl, and pour boiling water over them. This is all that is required to prepare them for the stir-fry. Their colour will change slightly. 

Drain well. Add the greens to the hot pan/wok, there could be some hot steam so stand back a little, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. 

Retrieve your prepared stir-fry sauce, give it another whisk to incorporate all the ingredients, and pour it into the hot pan. Bring to the boil. 

Gather the prawns, the cashew nuts, and chopped ginger, and toss through the sauce. The sauce will be silky and glossy and beautiful, almost instantly. 

I added another 1/2 cup water because I thought the liquid was incorporating too quickly. 

Taste the sauce to check if it needs more seasoning.

Your work is done!

Serve topped with extra spring onion and enjoy.

Serve with boiled rice if you wish.

Cook's notes:

• The valuable prawn shells and heads can be saved to make Prawn Bisque or Prawn Oil. Stick them in the freezer in a bag for using later.
• If I see green prawns being sold at a discounted price, I freeze them and cook them later in a dish like this. They freeze very well when raw, and cook up beautifully when thawed out.
• I don't think cooked prawns freeze well, they need to be eaten fresh. One of my favourite things to eat, is a fresh prawn sandwich on bread with lots of butter, or a Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose sauce.
• Asian recipes can look as if there are a lot of steps involved, but most of the work can be done in advance. Cooking the ingredients is generally very fast and lots of fun.

As well as loving seafood, another one of my formative food experiences growing up, was eating Chinese food. There wasn't the variety of restaurants like there is today, but there was always a Chinese Restaurant in most Aussie country towns, and one of the treats for us was occasionally buying a Chinese Shandy from the Chinese restaurant, which was just up the road from where we lived. I think it was just a take away place. A Shandy was a combo of sweet and sour pork, two prawn cutlets, chicken chow mein, fried rice, and perhaps chicken and cashew. What a great idea it was, we were able to sample a variety of Chinese specialities in one tasty meal. I don't think a Chinese Shandy is a thing anymore, but my Mum, my brother and I loved it. It was a very special treat, once a month probably, as it was still a luxury back then.

Warm wishes,

Pauline