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Chinese Takeaway Style Sweet And Sour Prawns
This sweet and sour prawns recipe is filled with crispy king prawns, stir-fried colourful vegetables and a delicious homemade sweet and sour sauce. It’s a Chinese takeaway classic that’s easy to make and is incredibly tasty. Let’s get cooking!
I always get excited about eating sweet and sour prawns! I mean who wouldn’t? Crispy prawns coated in a homemade sweet and sour sauce really does taste as good as it sounds.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s so easy to put together, it’s extremely flavoursome and it’s the perfect dinner or lunch idea to bring excitement into your week.
There’s nothing complicated or intricate about this recipe. Trust me, I get so surprised at how easy it is to make Chinese takeaway food at home! Not only is it easy, but it’s quick to make and you don’t need any special ingredients. You’ll probably have all the ingredients at home already.
Hong Kong Style
I like to make this dish just like my local Chinese takeaway. The prawns are coated in a light and crispy coating which is usually achieved by dipping prawns into egg then coating the prawns in a layer of cornflour. When deep fried, the prawns will have a crispy and slightly crunchy texture.
Other recipes like my Chinese chicken balls and prawn balls are coated in a thick batter, which is the opposite to Hong Kong Style dishes.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients I used for this recipe:
- King Prawns: I bought frozen king prawns that were already cleaned and peeled (which makes my life so much easier and saves me so much time). Make sure to prep your prawns before starting this recipe or buy prawns already prepped like me.
- Seasonings: To season the prawns, I add white pepper and salt. If you don’t have white pepper, you can use black pepper.
- Batter: To make the crispy batter you’ll need cornflour and an egg. The prawns are mixed in a mixture of whisked egg before being coated in cornflour.
- Vegetables: I used red bell peppers, green bell peppers and an onion. When ordering sweet and sour prawns, the only thing left on my plate is pineapples. So, I left it out of my recipe! If you love pineapples, simply add a couple in when stir-frying the vegetables.
- Homemade Sweet & Sour Sauce: It’s very easy to make yourself, simply mix ketchup, vinegar, sugar and light soy sauce together.
How To Make Sweet And Sour Prawns
Here’s a summary of how I make these sweet & sour king prawns done Hong Kong style. You can get the full recipe instructions on the recipe card below:
Step One:
I start by seasoning the prawns with salt and white pepper before adding a whisked egg and mixing everything together. The prawns then get coated in cornflour before being fried until it’s nice and crispy.
Quick Tip: I fry between 5-7 prawns at a time, but this depends on the size of your wok or pan. Mix the prawns around occasionally to avoid them sticking together. Plus, whilst the prawns are frying, I like to make the sauce (this is why this recipe is so quick).
Step Two:
I mix ketchup, vinegar, sugar and light soy sauce together, pour it into a pan heated over a medium to high heat, and leave it to thicken slightly.
Step Three:
The vegetables are stir-fried for 2 minutes (if you like pineapples, then you can chuck a few in too)! To bring everything together, I add the sweet and sour sauce and mix everything together, then I chuck in the prawns.
My Top Tips For Making Sweet And Sour Prawns
Make sure the oil is hot before adding the prawns or the prawns will get soggy and oily. I always place fried prawns on a plate lined with kitchen paper. The kitchen paper will drain any excess oil and you’ll avoid leaving your prawns to sit on a plate full of oil.
Make this dish as soon as you’re ready to eat it! The batter won’t be as crispy if you save it for later.
If you want your prawns to be drenched in the sweet and sour sauce, double the sauce ingredients in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
If you don’t want crispy prawns, then you can make this dish without the batter! Simply pan fry the prawns until cooked, then coat the prawns in the sweet and sour sauce.
If you don’t want to use prawns you can make this dish with tofu, pork or chicken like in my sweet and sour chicken recipe.
Occasionally, I like to change the vegetables and use carrots and mushrooms, it’s unusual but it tastes so delicious.
How To Serve
My first thoughts are always going to be boiled rice, fried rice or plain noodles!
When serving with rice dishes, I like to make either king prawn fried rice or Singapore fried rice. For noodles dishes, I’ll consider Chicken Vermicelli. If I want to be out of the box, then these salt and pepper chips are the side for me!
There are so many recipes that go well with sweet and sour prawns. For more of a Chinese takeaway feast, you might want to try my crispy salt and pepper chicken, this honey crispy beef or a crispy salt and chilli chicken.
Sweet And Sour Prawns | Hong Kong Style
Ingredients
- 240 g King Prawns
- 60 g Cornflour
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 Egg
Vegetables
- ½ Red Bell Pepper
- ½ Green Bell Pepper
- ½ Onion
Sweet And Sour Sauce
- 8 tbsp Ketchup
- 8 tbsp Sugar
- 8 tbsp Vinegar
- 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Add salt and white pepper to the prawns and mix. Whisk an egg and pour it onto the prawns, mix until the prawns are coated evenly in the egg.240 g King Prawns, ½ tsp Salt, 1 tsp White Pepper, 1 Egg
- Pour cornflour (corn-starch) into a bowl or large plate. Coat each prawn in the cornflour.60 g Cornflour
- Heat oil in a wok or pan on a medium to high heat. When the oil is hot, place a couple of prawns into the oil individually.
- Mix the prawns around occasionally to avoid them sticking together. Once fried (2-3 minutes) set aside the crispy prawns for later. Whilst the prawns are frying, I like to make the sauce.
- In a mixing bowl mix together ketchup, sugar, vinegar and light soy sauce. Set aside for later use.8 tbsp Ketchup, 8 tbsp Sugar, 8 tbsp Vinegar, 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- In a clean wok or frying pan add oil, chopped onions, red bell peppers and green bell peppers. Stir-fry the vegetables for 2 minutes.½ Red Bell Pepper, ½ Green Bell Pepper, ½ Onion
- To bring all the ingredients together. Add the sweet and sour sauce to the stir-fried vegetables and mix for 30 seconds or until the sauce has thickened
- Then add the crispy king prawns and mix together until evenly distributed.
Video
Notes
Don’t Get Chewy Prawns!!
It’s so important not to overcook the prawns, otherwise they become dry and so chewy. On average, prawns take quick to cook, medium sized prawns take 3 to 4 minutes to cook whilst jumbo prawns can take up to 8 minutes. Prawns will curl into a ‘C’ shape when cooked.More Prawn Recipes
You may also like to make this garlic butter prawns recipe! It’s tasty, quick and is great for dinner too.Nutrition
Music in video from Uppbeat, License code: 08VBCZFHCZBZDBBY
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