Bai zhuo xia
Poached prawns
Báizhuó xiā (白灼虾): Cantonese prawns briefly poached and served with a soy-chilli dip
Bai zhuo, "plain poaching", is how Cantonese cooks treat seafood they think is too good to sauce, and a plate of whole poached prawns is on the table at almost every family dinner and wedding banquet in Guangzhou and Shunde. The prawns are dropped into boiling water with ginger and spring onion for barely two minutes, then peeled at the table and dipped in a sizzling sauce of soy, chilli and spring onion. They are sweet, springy and very light. A portion is about 130 kcal. In Guangdong the prawns are often bought live; this recipe uses fresh or thawed raw shell-on prawns. Discard any that smell of ammonia, have black heads or slimy, soft shells. The common mistake is overcooking, which makes them rubbery and hard to peel; take them out the moment they curl and turn pink. Chef's tip: plunge the cooked prawns into iced water for 30 seconds; the flesh firms up and shrinks slightly from the shell, so they peel easily.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb raw shell-on prawnsfresh or thawed, deveined through the back with a toothpick
- 4 fresh gingerslices
- 3 spring onions2 knotted, 1 finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)contains alcohol, which cooks off; or leave it out
For the dip
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 red chillifinely chopped
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 ¼ cups iced water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Check 1 ⅓ lb raw shell-on prawns: they should smell of the sea, with firm, shiny shells. Discard any that smell of ammonia or have black heads or soft shells.
Step 2: For the dip, put 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 red chilli and the chopped 1 spring onions in a small bowl. Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil until smoking and pour over so it sizzles.
2 minStep 3: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 4 fresh ginger, the knotted 2 spring onions and 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine. Add the prawns and stir.
3 minStep 4: Cook for 1½–2 minutes, until they curl into a C shape, turn pink all over and the flesh under the shell is opaque. Don't wait for the water to boil again.
2 minStep 5: Lift out into 4 ¼ cups iced water for 30 seconds, drain and serve on a plate with the dip. Peel at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bai zhuo xia take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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