Sugar-cured prawns with fried sweet potatoes and hot and sour pineapple
Fried sweet potatoes, sticky hot and sour pineapple and cured prawns make this an exotic hot and sour supper.
Ingredients
For the sugar-cured prawns
- 350g/12oz raw king prawns, peeled and cut down the back
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 limes, zest only
For the sweet potatoes
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- sea salt, to season
For the coriander butter
- 100g/3½oz salted butter, softened
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
For the hot and sour pineapple
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú palm sugar
- 20ml/¾fl oz white wine vinegar
- 30g/1oz chilli paste
- 30ml/1fl oz fish sauce
- 3 limes, juice only
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 small pineapple (or 3 slices of a large one), cut into fingers
To serve
- 150ml/5fl oz crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Method
Combine the prawns with the sugar, salt and lime zest. Cover and leave to cure in the fridge overnight.
To make the sweet potatoes, pour the vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pan (or a deep-fat fryer) and heat to 180C, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Deep-fry the sweet potato in batches, frying for about 1 minute each time until the sweet potato turns golden and crispy. Remove each batch, drain on kitchen paper and season with sea salt whilst still hot.
To make the coriander butter, mix the soft butter with the coriander in a small bowl, cover and set aside in the fridge until later.
To make the hot and sour pineapple, combine the palm sugar, white wine vinegar, chilli paste, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and toasted sesame oil in a small saucepan and reduce over a medium heat until sticky.
Preheat your grill to hot, or put a griddle pan over a high heat. Chargrill the pineapple on all sides until blackened and soft, then combine the chargrilled pineapple with the sticky hot and sour sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Remove the prawns from the cure and pat dry. Cook the prawns in the dry, hot frying pan for 2–3 minutes or until cooked through.
Melt the coriander butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
To serve, spoon some crème fraîche onto the plates and dress with the pineapple and prawns. Garnish with coriander, spring onions, sesame seeds and red chilli. Drizzle with a little sesame oil, and finish with the melted butter and the fried sweet potatoes.
Recipe Tips
Use a mandoline if you want extra-thin, crispy sweet potato chips!