My Cooking Journal 25 - Stir Fry Salt And Pepper Prawns

As a Prawn lover, I enjoy the firm texture and natural sweetness of this ocean creature. It makes me mouth watering and tempting when served in any style. Prawns are well known for its high cholesterol contents. You need to watch your diet and avoid eating too much deep fried prawn as deep frying foods contain higher cholesterol levels (due to saturated fat). It should be alright if you consume in moderation and have them in steam or grill style for health benefit effects. Here is some basic nutrition that prawns can provide for our body. 

Prawns are low in saturated fat and calories and with good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.  It contains vitamin B3 and B12 and good source of minerals such as iodine, potassium, phosphorous, selenium, iron, sodium, calcium and magnesium.

Its complete supply of protein will assist in maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails. By eating a portion of prawns will provide 50% of the daily protein needed in our body. Prawns rich in Vitamin B3, B12 and iron (copper) aid the production of red blood cells in our body and prevent anemia and symptoms of weakness and fatigue.  It also helps to maintain a healthy thyroid through its supply of copper.

Minerals like phosphorous, calcium and magnesium in prawns will work together to give us stronger bones and teeth and a relaxing nerves and muscles too.

Prawns provide significant amount of Omega-3 fatty acids benefits our mental health and reduce risk in depression as well as stroke and heart disease.  It also contains selenium (antioxidant) that will help to fight against certain form of cancer and ease the symptom of arthritis by reducing the inflammation in the body. 

Buy and Store:

You can purchase prawn from local supermarkets or wet markets. When selecting prawn, choose those with shinny and firm shells. Just ensure that the shells are not broken, not in slippery texture and not with loose or missing heads. The eye should look shiny, intact and not distorted . If there's any sign of discolouration and odour smell, it is likely to turn bad soon.

It is best to cook after purchase or within three days of purchase. Refrigerated it in the freezer compartment  for up to 5-7 days can still be good. You can used back the orignal packaging or transfer it to a plastic container prior storing it in the freezer compartment.

Ingredients:

1. 10 Medium Prawns
2. 2-3 stalk Spring Onions - Wash & Cut into 2 inch length
3. 2-3 stems Curry Leave  - Wash, remove leave from stem and cut the stem into 2 inch length
4. 4-5 slice Ginger
5. 1 clove Garlic - skin peel and mince
6. 1 Red Chiller - Wash, Deseed, Cut into thin slice (3 to 4 Chilli Padi is prefer)
7. 2 tablespoon Corn Flour
8. 1/2 teaspoon Ground White/Black Pepper - crushed
9. 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
10. 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
11. 2 tablespoon Martell (Hard Liquor)

Method: 

1. Wash prawn, trim legs. Use scissor to cut across the back of the prawn and remove the black vein with prawn shells and heads still intact.
2. Soak the prawn in warm, lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Lightly coat the prawns with cornstarch and set aside.
4. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in wok. Once heated, add the prawns and stir fry over high heat for about 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon of martell and stir till they turn pink in colour. Remove from wok and set aside. 
5. Clean out the wok. Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add sliced ginger and stir fry over medium heat till fragrance. Add minced garlic, curry leave, stems and stir fry till garlic turns lightly brown.
6. Add sliced chilli, pepper and salt and continue to stir well evenly or until fragrant.
7. Add prawns and coat them well evenly with the salt and pepper mixture. Stir in spring onions, mix well and dish up. 



Method 2



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Method 6

Method 7