Yesterday was one of the rare occasions I ventured out for a wedding reception. As part of the Chinese sit-down course dinner at a gorgeous hotel in the city, there were some delicious Butter Prawns.
Now, I love a well-made dish of Butter Prawns as much as the next person, but somehow when I'm all dressed-up and at a swanky wedding reception, the last thing I want to do is eat prawns. Why? Well, if you've eaten a Chinese course meal, you'll know that the prawns usually come with the shell on (because the flavour is best if it's cooked with it on) and the absolute best way to eat them is to use your fingers to get to the sweetly succulent flesh inside.
BUT... (and this is a big BUT) you'll ultimately end-up with prawn-smelling fingers that will trail you all the way home. No amount of hand-washing will get rid of the smell unless you're OCD enough to wash your hand about 10 times, and then too only if you're lucky. Prawns are like garlic that way.
All I was brave enough to attempt eating last night were two prawns. Thank God for luxury hotels, because along with the Chinese soup spoon and chopsticks, the place settings also included forks and knives which helped tremendously while dealing with the prawns. Yay! Still, I ate only two and came home craving more.
If you've eaten it before, you'll know that there are many versions of Butter Prawns i.e. Butter Prawns with butter and cream; oats; egg yolk floss; Nestum; etc. My favourite is - well - are all the versions! Who can say no to Butter Prawns anyway? If you're afraid of cholesterol, eat it in moderation maybe once or twice a year. It's a remarkably rich dish, so if you eat more than three or four prawns you're likely to feel quite sick and jelak.
Anyway, to finally get to the point. I decided to satisfy the craving. I bought some prawns and made Nestum Butter Prawns. I followed a recipe I found here, which even has a very useful Youtube video showing you how to make it.
NESTUM BUTTER PRAWNS
Adapted from KitchenTigress
Cereal Mix
3/4 cup Nestum
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Skimmed Milk Powder
About 300g Prawns, medium (8 - 10 pieces)
(trim, de-vein, wash and dry completely)
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons Plain Flour
Peanut Oil
30g Butter
6 - 10 sprigs Curry Leaves
1 Bird's Eye Chilli, sliced thinly (optional)
In a bowl, mix ingredients for Nestum mix and set aside.
In another bowl, mix Prawns with Salt, Plain Flour and Egg. In a hot wok, add a little Peanut Oil and saute the prawns until just cooked through. Drain and set aside.
Let the wok cool down and then on low heat, add the Butter, Curry Leaves and Chilli. Fry until fragrant.
The add Cereal Mix and stir until lightly golden. Curry Leaves should crisp-up as the excess moisture is absorbed by the cereal.
Add Prawns and toss until well-combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. When the Nestum turns a golden brown turn-off the heat. Dish-out and serve immediately.
