Beer-steamed Prawns
This recipe is courtesy of my sis Amelia, and showcase easy cooking at its best with only four ingredients – prawns, ginger, beer and salt. This is a family favourite recipe of hers, and it is so easy that she can describe the steps in just a few SMSes.
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With so few ingredients, the goodness of the prawns really shines through so buy the freshest prawns that your money can buy for this dish! For me, fresh prawns are found at the wet market. The dish is quick cooking too, as I steamed them for only about 4 minutes and they are ready to serve. For best results, prawns are steamed with shells on so the only “troublesome” aspect of this recipe will be to de-vein the prawns with their shells on. The results will be well worth your effort :)
Note: What we call ‘prawn’ over here in South East Asia is known as ‘shrimp’ in the US.
Beer-steamed Prawns
This is easy cooking at its best with only four ingredients – prawns, ginger, beer and salt. With so few ingredients, the goodness of the prawns really shines through so buy the freshest prawns that your money can buy for this dish!
I highly recommend using light-tasting beer such as Tiger Crystal (what I use for this dish) or Tsiangtao for cooking this dish.
Ingredients:
- 8 large prawns (or ‘shrimps’ in the US) about 250 grams
- ginger slices no need to peel; enough to line plate
- beer 150ml estimate; enough to submerge prawns partially
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
- Prep the prawns. Using kitchen scissors, trim the head and tail end of the prawns. Make a small incision at the back (tail end) of the prawn and use a tooth pick to locate and pull out the veins at the back. Repeat the same for the underside of the prawns. Soak deveined prawns in a bowl of water with 1 tsp salt. After 5 minutes, drain and rinse the prawns.
- Prepare steaming dish. Line deep steaming plate with sliced ginger. Arrange prawns one layer on top of ginger. Pour enough beer to submerge the prawns partially.
- Steam the prawns. Prepare steamer. When water in steamer is boiling, add the plate of prawns to steam at high heat for about 4 minutes, or until the prawns turned fully orange. Do not over-cook. Serve immediately.
Noob Cook Tips
Soaking the prawns in salted water before steaming improves the flavour and texture of the meat, but you can skip that if you are busy.