Butterfly Prawns

Name: Butterfly Prawns
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 30 ml/2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour; 16 large prawns/shrimp; 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup cold water; 15 ml/1 tbsp sesame oil; pinch of bicarbonate of soda/baking soda; 15 ml/1 tbsp self-raising/selfrising flour; chilli and garlic dipping sauce, to serve; vegetable oil for deep-frying

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

China

By Terry Tan

Published 2020

About

A classic Cantonese restaurant dish, this takes its name from the way each prawn is slit and opened out so that it looks like a butterfly. The prawns are dipped in a very light batter, almost like tempura, and then quickly cooked in very hot oil until golden and crispy.

Ingredients

16 large prawns/shrimp
30 ml/2 tbsp plain/all-purpo

Asia
China
Guangzhou
Cantonese
Fish course
Pescatarian

Method

Clean the prawns and shell them, but leave the tails intact. Using a sharp knife, slit each prawn halfway through the back, then spread them flat so that they resemble butterflies.
Mix the plain flour and self-raising flour in a bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda, then the sesame oil and cold water. Stir to make a smooth batter.
Heat the oil in a wok o