Crispy, crunchy and absolutely delicious, fried prawn balls are a great appetiser and are often on the menu at dim sum restaurants. They also make a great snack or hors d’oeuvre for cocktails.
They are an extremely versatile food and you can prepare them every which way – deep-fried, steamed, boiled, mashed into a paste or even stir-fried.
Learn how to make the famous and beloved Cantonese version of the fried prawn balls with this recipe and impress your family and friends in no time. They are easy to make, even for a relatively inexperienced cook!
Ingredients:
- 450 g shelled and deveined prawns, defrost if frozen
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt or fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oil or some pork fat
- 3 dashes white pepper powder
- 8 spring roll wrappers (20cm square)
Method:
- In a mini food processor, combine the prawns, egg white, salt or fish sauce, sugar, corn starch, sesame oil, oil or lard and white pepper. Process until the ingredients form a paste.
- Fold up the spring roll wrappers and cut them into narrow strips with a pair of scissors. Cut these again into shorter strips.
- Lay the strips on a flat surface. Wet your hands and form the prawn paste (about one tablespoon at a time) into balls. Roll the shrimp balls on the spring roll strips, which will stick to the prawn balls.
- Trim the spring roll strips a little with a pair of scissors. Make sure the strips coat the prawn ball evenly. The strips that were trimmed off can be used again.
- Deep-fry the prawn balls in a deep fryer or wok until they turn golden brown, which would take about five minutes. Dish out, drain on paper towels and serve hot with Thai sweet chilli sauce or your favourite chilli sauce.
This recipe first appeared in Rasa Malaysia.
Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.