Wild prawns

Wild prawns

　　Prawns (Penaeus orientalis), scientifically known as the oriental prawn, are also called Chinese prawns or tiger prawns. They belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Crustacea, order Decapoda, family Penaeidae, and genus Penaeus. Prawns of this genus are large in size and commonly referred to as "big prawns." Mature female prawns generally measure 16–22 cm in length and weigh about 50–80 grams, with the largest reaching up to 30 cm and weighing 250 grams; males are smaller, measuring 13–18 cm in length and weighing 30–50 grams. Prawns are eurythermal and euryhaline marine animals. Their bodies are elongated and cylindrical, laterally compressed, and divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, consisting of 20 body segments. The abdomen is longer, muscular, and distinctly segmented.

　　Cooking Methods

　　Cooking Guide

　　1. Whole prawns can be braised, deep-fried, or sweet-roasted. When sliced or cut into chunks, they can be stir-fried, sautéed, grilled, or used in soups. Ground into paste, they can be made into shrimp dumplings or shrimp balls.

　　2. Avoid eating prawns that appear red, soft, or limp as they are likely not fresh. Spoiled prawns must not be consumed. The digestive tract (vein) on the back of the prawn should be removed before eating.

　　Dry-Roasted Prawns

　　Main ingredient: 1000 g prawns

　　Seasonings: 25 g ginger, 25 g scallions, 15 g cooking wine, 2 g monosodium glutamate, 10 g salt, 3 g pepper, 35 g sesame oil, 30 g white sugar

　　 Prawns

　　1. Trim and wash the scallions, then shred them.

　　2. Wash and shred the ginger.

　　3. Remove the heads and whiskers of the prawns, and clean out the sand vein.

　　4. Heat a pan, add a little sesame oil, and sear both sides of the prawns until red.

　　5. Add half of the shredded scallions and ginger, along with cooking wine, salt, pepper, monosodium glutamate, a small amount of sugar, and water.

　　6. After boiling over high heat, simmer over low heat for 7–8 minutes, then arrange the prawns on a plate.

　　7. Boil the remaining sauce, reduce it, add a bit more sugar, and put in the rest of the scallions and ginger to cook.

　　8. Once the sauce thickens, drizzle a little sesame oil and pour it over the prawns.

　　Astragalus & Date Braised Prawns

　　Main ingredient: 500 g prawns

　　Ingredients: 30 g astragalus, 30 g sour jujube seed

　　Seasonings: 2 g salt, 5 g rice wine, 5 g scallions, 5 g ginger

　　1. Boil astragalus and sour jujube into a medicinal liquid.

　　2. Remove the whiskers and claws from the prawns, place them in a container, add the astragalus & jujube liquid, salt, cooking wine, scallion segments, and ginger slices. Steam until cooked.

　　Pan-Fried & Simmered Prawns

　　Main ingredient: 600 g prawns

　　Seasonings: 10 g scallions, 8 g ginger, 6 g salt, 7 g garlic (white skin), 25 g white sugar, 25 g cooking wine, 50 g lard (refined), 20 g sesame oil

　　1. Wash the prawns, remove claws, whiskers, and the spear-like rostrum, and clean out the sand sac and sand vein. 2. Heat a pan with hot lard, place six prawns side by side, sear while pressing them with a spatula to let the bodies touch the pan directly. 3. Sear until golden on both sides, press the heads to release the roe. 4. Add shredded scallions, ginger, and garlic slices, sauté until fragrant. 5. Pour in seasonings, add broth, cover, and simmer slowly. 6. Once prawns are flavored and the sauce is thick, increase heat to reduce the sauce. 7. Arrange the prawns on a plate, drizzle the remaining sauce mixed with sesame oil over them, and serve.

　　Stir-fried Shrimp Balls (White Style)

　　Main ingredient: 500g prawns

　　Ingredients: 10g bamboo shoots, 10g fresh shiitake mushrooms, 50g tomatoes, 50g green peppers

　　Seasonings: 5g garlic (white skin), 5g green onions, 10g egg white, 5g dried bean curd sheets, 5g white sugar, 5g cooking wine, 5g starch (pea), 1g MSG, 70g vegetable oil

　　1. Shell the prawns, removing the head, shell, and tail. Wash them, pat dry with a towel, and make a shallow slit along the back (do not cut all the way through) to remove the vein. Make another slit on each side and set aside.

　　2. Cut the bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, and green peppers into diamond shapes. Slice the green onion whites into horsehoof shapes, and mince the garlic.

　　3. Mix the egg white with dry starch to make an egg white paste, then coat the prawns.

　　4. Mix fine salt, white sugar, cooking wine, MSG, wet starch, and stock to form a sauce and set aside.

　　5. Heat oil in a wok over high heat until it reaches 150°F (50% heat). Add the coated prawns, separate them with chopsticks, and when the shrimp curls into balls and changes color, scoop them out with a strainer and drain.

　　6. Leave some oil in the wok, return to high heat, add the shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and other ingredients. Stir-fry briefly, pour in the prepared sauce, add the fried shrimp balls, stir-fry briefly, and serve.

　　Steamed

　　Category: Home-style dish, tonic recipe, kidney-strengthening recipe, yang-invigorating recipe, impotence and premature ejaculation recipe

　　Cooking method: Steamed

　　Flavor: Salty and sour. Best served for lunch or dinner.

　　Main ingredients: 250g prawns, 250g fresh squid

　　Accompaniments: 50g lemon

　　Seasonings: 3g salt, 1g MSG, 20g cooking wine, 20g salad oil, 10g cornstarch

　　Cooking method: 1. Slice the lemon and arrange the slices on a plate.

　　2. Make crisscross cuts on the fresh squid. Marinate the squid and prawns together in a bowl with salt, MSG, and cooking wine for 2 minutes.

　　3. Wrap the squid around the prawns, place them on the lemon slices, and steam in a steamer over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove.

　　4. Heat salad oil in a pan over high heat, add 200g clear soup and bring to a boil. Thicken with wet starch and drizzle over the prawns.

　　Clay Pot

　　Ingredients: 2 pairs of prawns, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 2 liang (approx. 100g) vermicelli, a small amount of pineapple cubes, 25g Shaoxing wine, 20g white sugar, 3.5g MSG, a small amount of cooked lard, 1000g fresh broth. Preparation:

　　1. Heat the clay pot over high heat, add oil to coat the pan, lightly sear the prawns, pour in Shaoxing wine and ginger juice, cover and simmer briefly, add sugar and fresh broth, then cover and simmer again.

　　2. When the prawns are about 80% cooked, add the vermicelli and MSG. Bring to a boil, transfer to a large clay pot, simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, then cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Skim off foam, add green and red pepper strips, MSG, and drizzle with cooked lard. Serve directly from the pot.

　　Nutritional content: 85mg cholesterol, 10g carbohydrates, 13g protein, 19g fat, 115cal calories.

　　Prickly Ash Steamed

　　How to Steam Prawns with Prickly Ash

　　1. Ingredients: Frozen prawns, chili peppers, garlic

　　2. Peel and trim the garlic, mince it finely. Also mince the prickly ash.

　　3. Add ground Sichuan peppercorn and minced garlic, then sprinkle in cooking wine, sesame oil, light soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

　　4. Devein the shrimp, cut them in half lengthwise, rinse, and drain. Arrange them on a plate. (Note: For shrimp, besides removing the head and tail, make sure to cut them open thoroughly along the back; otherwise, they will curl up after steaming.)

　　5. Evenly sprinkle the chopped bell peppers over the shrimp.

　　6. Once the water in the steamer comes to a boil, steam the shrimp for about 3 minutes. (Turn off the heat and remove them once the shrimp turn opaque to keep them tender and juicy.)