Three-Flavor Lantern Shrimp
The shrimp are arranged in a lantern shape and paired with three flavor profiles—peppery aromatic, sweet-and-sour, and savory—creating a dish that is as visually striking as it is appetizing.
Ingredients
Large prawns
10 pieces (60g each)
Medium shrimp meat
250g
Green chili peppers
8g
Onion
5g
Cooking oil
2500g (actually uses 150g)
Chopped scallions
To taste
Tomato sauce
To taste
Ji sauce
To taste
OK sauce
To taste
Banzi sugar (bing pian sugar)
To taste
White vinegar
To taste
Cornstarch
To taste
MSG
To taste
Refined salt
To taste
Sesame oil
To taste
Five-spice powder
To taste
Jiafan wine (Shaoxing wine)
To taste
White pepper
To taste
Egg white
To taste
Breadcrumbs
To taste
Instructions
1
Step 1
Wash the large prawns, cut off the heads and tails, blanch and drain. Heat oil in a wok to about 70% hot, deep-fry the heads, tails, and bodies together until cooked and dry, transfer to a strainer, then separate the heads, tails, and bodies and set aside.
2
Step 2
Heat oil in the wok over high heat, add the salt-and-pepper mixture (made by combining minced garlic, chopped green chili, diced onion, five-spice powder, MSG, salt, Jiafan wine, sesame oil, and chopped scallions), quickly stir-fry until fragrant, add the prawn heads and tails, stir-fry until dry, then remove from the wok.
3
Step 3
Shell the prawn bodies and slice along the back to split each into two pieces. Heat the wok over medium heat, add the sweet-and-sour sauce (made by mixing tomato sauce, Ji sauce, OK sauce, banzi sugar, white vinegar, and a pinch of salt) and bring to a boil, thicken with wet cornstarch, immediately add the prawn meat and toss to coat evenly, drizzle with finishing oil, then remove from the wok.
4
Step 4
Remove the vein and grit from the shrimp meat, rinse clean, blot dry with a clean towel, pound with a knife into a paste, add refined salt, MSG, white pepper, and egg white and mix well, form into 10 shrimp balls, evenly coat with breadcrumbs, then deep-fry in hot oil until golden yellow and remove.
5
Step 5
Plating: On a clean white round plate, arrange the prawn heads facing the center in a circle, place the two prawn body halves symmetrically to form a flat round, each connecting with a prawn head, then attach the prawn tails. Place the fried shrimp balls inside the ring formed by the prawn bodies. Finish by placing a tomato carved into a flower shape at the center of the plate as garnish.
