Monday 12 November 2012

CAMARON RELLENADO (STUFFED PRAWNS)


As in the west, our celebrations on our side of the globe command cooking of stuffed dishes. Having a lot of ingredients make dishes special. 

Camaron rellenado simply means stuffed prawns. It is actually a Chinese dish but has a Spanish name because, in the olden days, restaurant menus in the Philippines were written in Spanish. 

There are a lot of stuffed dishes like these in Chinese cuisine. It is basically the same mixture used in dumplings but wrapped around or used as filling. There is one ingredient that make it tasty and have a firm texture. It is an ingredient that I don't use because, sorry to say, it is bad for your health. That ingredient is chopped pork fat. You can add that to this dish if you wish but I skipped that part.


This dish is simple and only has a few ingredients. Although headless prawns are usually used, I have kept the heads intact. I think it looks better and I also happen to like prawn heads, especially when fried. If you like crab roe, then the inside of the prawn's head could also be a treat for you. What comes after is the best part. The creamy prawn flesh is encased in a seasoned pork mixture that brings on a distinct flavour of celebrations. I don't think anyone will walk away unhappy after eating this.


Ingredients:

250 gms. of minced pork
2 dried Chinese mushrooms, softened in boiling water and chopped
1 tbsp. sherry
2 tbsps. light soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps. chopped spring onions
2/3 c. corn flour (corn starch)
6 large shell-on prawns

Method:

Put the minced pork and chopped mushrooms in a mixing bowl. Add in the sherry, soy sauce, salt, sugar, egg yolk, sesame oil, garlic, spring onions, and 1 tbsp. of corn flour. Mix very well and divide into 6 portions. Set aside.

Cut off the antenna and legs of the prawn. There is also a very sharp, saw-like part on top of the prawn's head that you'll need to cut off.

Peel the body of the prawns but leave the head and tail intact.

Cut 3-4 slits in the inner curve of the prawns. This will keep them from curling as they cook.

Dredge the prawns lightly in corn flour.

Wrap the prawns body in a portion of the meat mixture.



Dust again with corn flour and dip in the egg white. Give them a final dusting of the corn flour.

Heat up a pan with enough cooking oil for shallow frying.

Fry the prawns on medium heat, two at a time until crisp and cooked through (about 5 minutes). Drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce or sweet and sour sauce (recipe here).


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Camaron Rebosado
Pork and Prawn Siomai
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8 comments:

  1. Hi Adora,
    Just looking at the prawns already makes me drool... I think no one will say no to this delicious wrapped around prawns. All your dishes and cakes always turn out looking so presentable and delicious looking!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mel. This dish would be so nice made with Malaysian prawns. They are the best!

      Delete
  2. Agree with Mel. This looks yummy even without the pork lard.

    For a healtier version, can we steam instead of deep frying the prawns?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they can definitely steamed. Just coat with cornflour once, no need for the egg white, then steam.

      Delete
  3. What an interesting and delicious looking dish! I was surprised to see that the main flour was cornstarch or corn flour. I've never used it as anything but a thickener for sauces and definitely not as the binder for a batter. The results look quite crispy. I think I need to give this recipe a try.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi MJ. Corn flour rather than wheat flour is used more often in Chinese cuisine. It is makes a crispier coating when fried.

      Delete
  4. Yum!! I've never eaten the heads and was curious what they tasted like. Your camarones looks really good and would be a great holiday appetizer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks fabulous! I've heard the heads are the best part but just don't know if I could bring myself to eat them... well maybe after a glass of wine ;)

    ReplyDelete

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