SESAME PRAWN CUTLETS WITH A HONEY SOY DIPPING SAUCE

SERVES 4, OR 8 AS PART OF A SHARED ASIAN BANQUET

A little sliced or chopped pickled ginger is also great mixed into the honey soy sauce. There is enough sauce so you can serve rice with this dish and pour the sauce over the rice. This is one of those dishes that is very hard to stop eating.

12 raw king prawns (shrimp), peeled, deveined and tail intact

120 g (4¼ oz/2 cups) Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

sea salt

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

2 eggs, organic, if possible, lightly whisked

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

HONEY SOY DIPPING SAUCE

175 g (6 oz/½ cup) honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 cm (1½ inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated

½ fresh long red chilli, seeded and finely diced

3 teaspoons fresh lime juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce, combine 170 ml (5½ fl oz/²/₃ cup) water, the honey, soy sauce, ginger and chilli in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Check seasoning.

Use a small sharp knife to cut a slit along the back of each prawn (don’t cut all the way). Use your fingers to gently open each prawn to sit flat. Keep the tail intact.

Combine the panko crumbs and sesame seeds in a bowl and season to taste with salt.

Place the flour and egg in separate bowls. Dip a few prawns at a time into the flour until well coated, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg and then the panko mixture, pressing firmly to coat. Place the prawns in a single layer on a plate.

Add enough oil to a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 cm (¾ inch). Heat over medium heat. Cook the prawns in batches without crowding the pan for 1–2 minutes or until just cooked through and golden. Drain on paper towel.

Repeat with the remaining prawns. If necessary, add some extra oil to the frying pan, and bring back up to temperature before cooking the next batch of prawns. Serve the prawns on a platter with the honey soy dipping sauce on the side.

NOTE: You can use ordinary breadcrumbs, but the panko are more of a statement and have a great crunch.