So many of the dishes in the Singaporean repertoire tend to be laborious, making up for the elbow grease in deliciousness. But sometimes on a weekday, the last thing you want to do is to slave in the kitchen after a long day of work. On these nights, I look for dishes with low input and high output, as I call it. These are things that are quick and easy to put together but do not compromise on flavour. Wasabi prawns is one such dish. Invented by Singaporean chef Sam Leong, the dish marries Chinese technique and Japanese flavours.
Wasabi Prawns
Serves 4
275g shelled prawns, deveined (from 500g prawns)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg white
Pinch of baking soda
100g Japanese mayonnaise
15g wasabi paste
1/2 tablespoon condensed milk
Oil for deep-frying
Cornstarch for dredging
Ebiko or black sesame seeds for garnish
Combine the prawns with salt, pepper, egg white and baking soda. Set this aside for about 15 minutes, while you prepare the mayonnaise and oil for frying. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, wasabi and condensed milk. Taste and adjust with more wasabi or condensed milk to your liking. Heat a deep-saucepan with oil until it reaches 200C. Coat the prawns in cornstarch and deep-fry for half a minute to a minute or until cooked. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. Transfer to the large bowl with the mayonnaise and toss to coat evenly. Top with ebiko or black sesame seeds if preferred.