Mrs Xu's Prawns with Longjing Tea
Recipe by Kylie Kwong from Kylie Kwong My China
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 500 g uncooked Prawns shrimp, peeled and de-veined but with tails left intact
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons shao hsing wine
- ½ cup boiling Water
- 1 tablespoon Longjing tea leaf
- 2 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Oil
- 2½ cm piece of Ginger finely chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon shao hsing wine extra
Method
- Combine prawns with cornflour and shao hsing wine in a bowl. Cover, place in refrigerator and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Put tea leaves in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water and allow to steep for 2 minutes. Strain and reserve tea leaves, discarding liquid.
- Heat vegetable oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly, then carefully add half the prawns and deep-fry for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove prawns from wok and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat processwith remaining prawns. Carefully pour oil out of wok and wipe clean with kitchen paper.
- Heat peanut oil in cleaned wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly.
- Add ginger, garlic and prawns and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add extra shao hsing wine, soy sauce and sesame oil and stir-fry for a further 1–2 minutes. Add reserved tea leaves, mix well and serve immediately.484
Notes & Tips
The distinctive elongated, needle-like leaves of Longjing tea add a delicate flavour to this dish. Any high-quality, longleaf green tea can be substituted, but don’t try to make this with the same quantity of tea made from shredded leaves, or with large-leafed tea, as these will spoil the texture of the sauce.
