Panfried Prawns in Soya Sauce

It might interest you to know that Lee Mei and I are fellow Teochews, and I wanted to share a dish that is somewhat reflective of our ethnicity. As some of you may know, “Teochew cuisine is particularly well-known for its seafood dishes and is commonly regarded as being healthy. Its use of flavouring is much less heavy-handed than most other Chinese cuisines and depends much on the freshness and quality of the ingredients for taste and flavour. As a delicate cuisine, oil is not often used in large quantities and there is a relatively heavy emphasis on poaching, steaming, braising and stir-frying.”

(Source: Wikipedia)

In addition, Teochews love our yellow bean, soya and fish sauces! As our food is seasoned only to enhance the natural flavours of the fresh ingredients, good quality sauces are essential. Many soya sauces come in standard and superior grades. I prefer buying superior grade ones because although they cost slightly more, the difference they make up in taste is huge.

Now, on to today’s dish. I decided to cook a very homely but delicious dish of Panfried Prawns in Soy Sauce. Chinese New Year is less than 2 weeks away, and since prawns are a must-have* at many dinner tables, I wanted to share an easy recipe that anyone can follow.

* Prawns in cantonese are called “ha”, which sounds like laughter (and therefore associated with happiness). Chinese serve prawns for that auspicious reason, in the hope of heralding in a joyous new year.

This dish employs a dry-fry method – no gravy, hardly any oil – and the prawns are cooked on high heat, almost to the point of charring. The shells take on a hint of brown due to the soya sauce … but if you really want more colour, a dash of dark soy will do the trick. Personally, I prefer to keep it light, so that the brilliant orange of the shells is still visible. It is important that the shells are kept on, for the heavenly aroma they impart to the dish. And yes, it makes the eating all the more finger-lickin’ good!

Lastly, do use the freshest prawns money can buy. As with all basic dishes, only the freshest will do, for there will be little else to mask the taste of stale ingredients. And now, you’re ready to cook!