This is the beautiful marriage of two seemingly different but incredibly delicious Singaporean dishes—cereal prawns and butter prawns. Fresh curry leaves and HUGE shell-on prawns make for a TRUE finger lickin’ly memorable get-down-and-dirty experience. Same-culture fusion at its finest. It should have happened sooner, and it’s happening for you now.
2–4 SERVINGS
6 large (½ pound, U12) whole shell-on prawns
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Thai chilies, sliced into rings
1 Fresno chili, sliced into rings
3 sprigs fresh curry leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 salted duck egg yolks*
¾ cup and ¼ cup instant/dry Singaporean breakfast cereal flakes (Nestum or similar)
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
2 pinches sugar
Cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
90 large (7½ pounds, U12) whole shell-on prawns
Kosher salt and black pepper
2¾ cups cornstarch
45 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
30 Thai chilies, sliced into rings
15 Fresno chilies, sliced into rings
45 sprigs fresh curry leaves
2 cups unsalted butter
30 salted duck egg yolks*
2¾ quarts and 1 quart instant/dry Singaporean breakfast cereal flakes
5 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2¾ teaspoons sugar
1. Thaw out prawns. Once thawed, use a pair of scissors to remove legs, then split the shell by cutting along the back from the tail to just short of the head. Next, slit the back of the prawn’s body with a knife. Look out for a black vein. If it’s there, remove it and devein the prawn. Leave the head and shell intact.
2. Rinse and pat the prawns dry. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat prawns in bowl with cornstarch. Remove, shake off excess, set aside on a plate or in another bowl.
3. Heat 2 inches of cooking oil in a pot to 350°F over high heat. Once the oil is hot enough, completely submerge the prawns and deep-fry for 3–4 minutes, or until fully cooked and crispy. Remove and shake off excess oil. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan under medium-high heat, sauté garlic, Thai and Fresno chilies, and curry leaves in butter until evenly browned. The air should turn fragrant, and your hangover from the night before should be completely gone. YAY! Add salted egg yolks. Crush them, stir, then reduce to medium heat.
5. Add ¾ cup cereal. Stir until the flakes look and smell roasted. Add the rest of the cereal and combine until ingredients are dried up. Add chicken bouillon and sugar. Mix, taste, and adjust seasoning to your liking.
6. Toss in prawns. Continue to stir-fry until prawns are well-coated.
Remove from heat. Plate and garnish with cilantro. To eat, dig in with your fingers because there’s no time to be dainty here. Go at it (shells, head-on and all)—like no one is watching!
* These are typically sold in small cartons as whole eggs. We try to buy eggs sourced from Taiwan.