Name: Kung po prawns
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 tsp cornflour; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 400g large raw prawns frozen is fine, butterflied (see tip, below); 2 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar; 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée; 1 tsp caster sugar; 2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil; 85g unsalted, roasted peanuts; 6 small or 3 large whole dried chillies; 2 x 225g cans water chestnuts drained; thumb-sized piece ginger finely grated; 2 garlic cloves finely chopped

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Kung po prawns

Kung po prawns

Jane Hornby

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

A star rating of 4.1 out of 5.13 ratingsRate

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Whip up this budget-friendly, Chinese favourite in just 20 minutes

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp light soy sauce
400g large raw prawns

frozen is fine, butterflied (see tip, below)
2 tbsp Chinese rice vinegar
1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp sunflower or groundnut oil
85g unsalted, roasted peanuts
6 small or 3 large whole dried chillies
2 x 225g cans water chestnuts

drained
thumb-sized piece ginger

finely grated
2 garlic cloves

finely chopped

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal308
fat18g
saturates3g
carbs13g
sugars6g
fibre1g
protein25g
salt2.07g

Method

step 1

Mix the cornflour and 1 tbsp soy sauce, toss in the prawns and set aside for 10 mins. Stir the vinegar, remaining soy sauce, tomato purée, sugar and 2 tbsp water together to make a sauce.
step 2

When you’re ready to cook, heat a large frying pan or wok until very hot, then add 1 tbsp oil. Fry the prawns until they are golden in places and have opened out– then tip them out of the pan.
step 3

Heat the remaining oil and add the peanuts, chillies and water chestnuts. Stir-fry for 2 mins or until the peanuts start to colour, then add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 more min. Tip in the prawns and sauce and simmer for 2 mins until thickened slightly. Serve with rice.

RECIPE TIPS

TIP

To butterfly a prawn, make a cut along the entire length of the prawn, cutting almost all the way through. Pull out the black vein. Butterflying the prawns isn’t essential, but it helps them to cook more quickly, trap sauce and look great on your plate. Watch our step-by-step video on preparing prawns at bbcgoodfood.com.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2011

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A star rating of 4.1 out of 5.13 ratings

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