Name: Sweet And Sour Prawns | Hong Kong Style
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 240 g King Prawns; 60 g Cornflour; ½ tsp Salt; 1 tsp White Pepper; 1 Egg; ½ Red Bell Pepper; ½ Green Bell Pepper; ½ Onion; 450 ml Water; 6 tbsp Sugar; 6 tbsp Ketchup; 6 tbsp Vinegar; 4 tbsp Pineapple Juice; 1 tbsp Cornflour (Mixed With 1 tbsp Water)

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Easy Hong Kong Style Sweet And Sour King Prawns Recipe

This sweet and sour prawns recipe is filled with crispy king prawns, stir-fried colourful vegetables and a delicious sweet and sour homemade sauce. It’s a Chinese takeaway classic that’s easy to make and is incredibly tasty.

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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.

Watch How To Make It

What Is Hong Kong Style?

So, what makes Hong Kong style sweet and sour prawns Hong Kong style?

Standard sweet and sour dishes are coated in a thick batter like this chicken balls and prawn balls recipes, which are served with sweet and sour sauce on the side, usually as a dipping sauce.

Hong Kong style dishes have its meats or prawns coated in a light and crispy coating. This 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. Hong Kong style dishes like this sweet and sour prawns are known for these types of textures.

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.

King Prawns: I brought frozen king prawns that were already cleaned and peeled. Using prawns that are already prepped 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 coating the king prawns, 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 at my local Chinese takeaway, 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: Each Hong Kong style king prawn is coated in a delicious tangy sweet & sour sauce. It’s very easy to make yourself, simply reduce a mixture of water, ketchup, vinegar, pineapple juice and cornflour.

With most Chinese recipes you’ll need a wok like this one here. I love using a wok, it distributes heat evenly from the base up to the sides and is great for stir-fry dishes and Chinese cooking.

My Top Tips For Making Sweet And Sour Prawns

Make sure the oil is hot before adding your prawns, if not the prawns will be soggy and oily. I always like to 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 coating the king prawns 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. You’ll make twice as much sauce to coat the vegetables and king prawns.

How To Make Sweet And Sour Prawns

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make sweet & sour king prawns done Hong Kong style. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.

Step One:

Prawns marinating in white pepper, salt and egg

Add salt and white pepper to the prawns and mix. Whisk an egg and pour onto the prawns, mix until the prawns are coated evenly in the egg.

Step Two:

Pour cornflour (corn-starch) into a bowl or large plate. Coat each prawn in the cornflour.

Step Three:

King prawns deep fried with crispy coating

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. I usually add 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. Once fried (2-3 minutes) set aside for later.

Whilst the prawns are frying I like to make the sauce (this is why this recipe is so quick).

Step Four:

Sweet and sour sauce ingredients in bowl

Time to make the sweet and sour sauce! In a mixing bowl add water, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice and mix together. Pour the sauce mixture into a wok or pan and heat over a medium to high heat.

Step Five:

After 2 minutes, mix a small tablespoon of cornflour and a tablespoon of water in a mixing bowl and mix together.

Add the cornflour mixture into the sauce and mix. Leave the sauce to simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Step Six:

Stir frying sweet and sour prawns vegetables

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. If you like pineapples, then you can chuck a few in too!

Step Seven:

Adding sweet and sour sauce to king prawns and vegetables

To bring all the ingredients together. Add the crispy king prawns to the stir-fried vegetables followed by the sweet and sour sauce and mix together until evenly distributed.

Recipe Variations

Double or triple the recipe for larger portions or parties. If you want the prawns in this Hong Kong style recipe to be dripping in sweet and sauce, then double or even triple the quantities used to make the sauce.

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.

Why Are My Prawns Chewy?

It’s so important not to overcook prawns, otherwise they become dry and 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.

What To Serve

There are so many recipes that go so well with sweet and sour prawns. Check out these easy and tasty recipes below:

You may also like this garlic butter prawns recipe!