Doubanjiang, or toban-djan, is a spicy bean paste with origins in Sichuanese cuisine. It is generally made from a combination of broad beans, chillies and salt.
The paste is cultivated over time, using the natural elements to help embolden its flavours and allow the paste to gain greater depth over time. The most familiar dish you’ll find doubanjiang in is Mapo tofu, which is defined by the specific savouriness of this spicy bean condiment.
This recipe for stir-fried prawns is a really quick and simple way to experiment with this delicious paste. It hits almost every flavour profile on the palate, balancing sweet, sour, spicy and umami notes to tantalise the taste buds.
Flavours and pairings
Sweet and juicy prawns pair perfectly with the vinegar-like undertone of the fermented chilli beans. A little dark soy adds depth of flavour, while a touch of kicap manis adds a hint of sweetness to bring it all together.
Serve with a simple side of stir-fried bitter gourd and egg.
Ingredients
- 8 prawns, shells on and heads removed
- 1cm ginger, finely sliced into rounds
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 1/2 large red chilli, finely sliced
- 1 red cili padi (optional), sliced in half
- 1/2 brown onion, roughly sliced into half rounds
- 1/4 green capsicum, finely sliced
- 1-2 stalks spring onion, white sections cut into 2.5cm pieces and green tops finely sliced
- 1.5 teaspoons chilli bean sauce (doubanjiang)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon kicap manis
- cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon Shao Xing wine (optional)
Method
- Add 2-3 teaspoons of cooking oil to a wok on medium heat. Add the ginger and white part of the spring onions. Toss quickly and fry for a few seconds or until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
- Add the prawns to the wok, and allow the shells to sear lightly on either side to bring out its natural flavour and impart its briny quality to the dish. Remove and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the wok, then add the garlic and return the ginger and spring onion to the wok. Stir through quickly.
- Add the chilli bean sauce, dark soy and kicap manis, plus 2-3 tablespoons water and the optional Shao Xing wine. Cook on low-medium heat until the sauce mixture has reduced and become slightly more viscous.
- Return the prawns to the wok, then turn the heat up to high. Toss the prawns through, ensuring they are well coated.
- Add the onion, capsicum and red chilli. Toss through for 2-3 minutes, and it’s done!
Dish out and serve immediately with a final garnish of green spring onions.
@theorangesieve serves up recipes from the heart, inspired by travels near and far. It’s all about food that humbly invites you to discover the truth about flavour: the people, the culture and the stories behind them… the kind of food that leaves you with a smile for reasons you can’t quite put your finger on.