Steamed and salt-baked prawns | Comfort cooking

Salt-baked prawns are easy to cook and can be served in the pan. Besides the prawns, the key ingredients are coarse salt and rice wine. The rice wine helps stave off fishy odours and add aroma and depth of flavour to the prawns. STFood Online Editor Hedy Khoo shares two recipes for cooking prawns. str.sg/34qy
STEAMED PRAWNS WITH DIPPING SAUCE
Ingredients
1 litre of water
8 medium-sized prawns (268g)
10g spring onion, cut into 5cm lengths
20g ginger, sliced
1/8 (one-eighth) tsp sal
Equipment: Bamboo steamer with lid and a wok with a cover.
Method
1. Add 1 litre of water to the wok and bring it to a boil.
2. Place the prawns in the bamboo steamer.
3. Place the spring onion and ginger slices over the prawns.
4. Sprinkle the salt over the prawns
5. Cover the bamboo steamer with its lid. Place bamboo steamer in the wok with boiling water. Cover and steam for two minutes. Switch off the fire and let the prawns cook in residual heat for another 30 seconds. Remove the bamboo steamer from the wok
6. Serve immediately.
Dipping sauce
Ingredients
30ml light soya sauce
3 green or red chilli padi, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 lime
Method
1. Place light soya sauce in a small bowl.
2. Add the chilli and garlic.
3. Use a strainer to squeeze the lime juice into the sauce.
4. Mix well and serve.
Serves two.