Helen RandellChilli Bean Paste Prawns
November 26th 2010 06:36
There is a little Asian grocery store which I see each day on my way home from work. It’s a bit of a novelty for me, as the area where I live doesn’t have much in the way Asian or Indian supermarkets. I’ve wanted to stop a few times, but I was never sure about their hours - whether I would be barging in just as they were trying to close, or whether they would already be shut.
This particular Thursday night, I needed some chilli bean paste, which I had been unable to find at my local supermarket. I figured Thursday night (late night shopping here in SA) would be an ideal time to swing past, grab my paste and find out their opening times.
The thing I love about Asian grocery stores is the array of different products they have and the wonderful, cheap, healthy looking Asian greens. I grabbed my chilli bean paste and a bunch of coriander all for less than $3 and found out the store is open later than I expected, so I’ll be able to make other ‘on the way home dashes’.
I wanted the chilli bean paste to try a recipe I saw in the latest Donna Hay magazine. The recipe is part of a feature on using baking paper ‘bags’ and ‘envelopes’ to cook and steam your meats and fish. You don’t need any oil to cook with, so it is relatively low fat, and the use of the baking paper means there aren’t messy dishes to content with at the end. I was impressed with the results from this recipe, though the ends of the noodles didn’t soften as well, or become as flavoured as I was hoping. Next time I try this, I will include more liquid in the bag to overcome this (though I have written the unadulterated recipe below).
Chilli bean paste prawns
In a bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon chilli bean paste, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 300g green prawns, peeled, deviened with the tail intact. Layer a couple sheets of baking paper into a dish, allowing excess so that you can gather up the ends to create an enclosed parcel.
Lay 100g rice noodles onto the baking paper, pour over 1/3 cup of chicken stock and place prawns on top with a few mint leaves. Bring together baking paper to create a parcel and place in a 200 degree C oven for 25 minutes.
While cooking, thinly slice a spring onion and red chilli and prepare some Asian greens to serve with the prawns. Once cooked, spoon prawns and noodles into two bowls, top with spring onion and chilli and serve with vegetables. Very easy, very simple, very delicious!
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