Deep Fried Large Prawns with Simplest Batter (油炸大虾)

油炸大虾 (You Zha Da Xia)

I guess everybody has craved deep fried food from time to time. This is what happens to me recently. Deep fried food is always a challenge for me though, because it is so hard to find a simple enough batter that will yield perfectly crispy shrimps, until today.

For more fun cooking ideas, see Recipes by Category.

Ingredients

• The simplest batter for deep frying good for 2 lb. seafood
• 2 lb. large prawns 
• about 1 cup canola oil that will be 1 inch deep in medium size pot
 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes


Cooking Steps

1. Prepare the simplest batter for deep frying.
2. Prepare 2 lb. large prawns. Remove shells and veins.
3. Get a medium size pot, add about 1 inch deep canola oil. Use medium high heat to heat for about 4-5 minutes.

Tips:

• Use wood or bamboo chopsticks to dip in the oil, if there are bubbles coming out around the chopstick, that means the oil is hot enough for deep frying.
• Turn heat to medium to avoid over heating the pot, always turn on the fan over the stove for deep frying.

4. Dip the large prawns in the batter to be coated evenly one by one and place in the hot oil carefully. Use chopsticks to push the prawns  gently in the oil to prevent them being stuck to the pot bottom.

5. Add 5-6 prawns in each batch, deep fry for about 4 minutes, then flip the prawns and deep fry for another 2 minutes, or until the skins turn golden brown and crispy. Take out the prawns.

Tip:

• Use large pot to deep fry large batch to save time.
• For leftover deep fried prawns, you can use oven to bake them later at 450 F for about 10 minutes (depending on the leftover portion), the prawns will restore its crispy skin!