Sweet Chilli Prawns with Pak Choi
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 01:19PM 
Lighter mornings, longer days and warmer nights provide a feeling of renewal to the mind and body. Spring (possibly even summer!) is most definitely here; the mulberry haze of bluebells and the heady aroma of wild garlic all give promise to the hotter months to come. Just as the landscape is revived at this time of year, so too are our lighter and brighter palates. It is about this time that my taste buds start to call for zestier fare; I want zing and sweetness, pepper and crunch to hale the coming of summer and this dish embodies that perfectly. You can buy sweet chilli sauce from a speciality shop or your local supermarket, but more often than not it contains a large amount of vinegar or ‘acetic acid’ to both flavour and preserve. I love to make my own using a combination of sugar, lime, chilli and fish sauce; it has a real depth of flavour and can brighten up the most abject of evenings, plus, it is gloriously simple and infinitely better for you.
The texture of the prawns is just right for the fiery smack of this sauce, although I should add that I often serve it with seared salmon, chicken and even pork - and it is a staple part of my stir fry base. Here, the sweet chilli sauce coats the tender prawns, peppered with the mellow bite of carrot and the sharp crunch of pak choi. For me, there is only one way to serve it and that is on a bed of light and fluffy white basmati rice. A twist of fresh lime and perhaps a few scattered roasted cashew nuts are all it needs to make it into a sumptuous meal.
Be warned, bird’s eye chillies can be seriously hot, and, as we’re including the seeds in the sauce, you may want to go easy on them if you don’t like things to spicy. I would recommend ½ - 1 chilli for the milder palates and 2 for those who like things hot!
SWEET CHILLI PRAWNS WITH PAK CHOI
Serves 2 generously
175g large raw king prawns, peeled, deveined and rinsed (you can buy them prepared in this way from both supermarket and fishmongers)
1 large carrot
2 small pak choi
1 tbsp groundnut oil
For the sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp lime juice
1-2 red thai bird’s eye chillis, finely diced
A small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Begin by making the sauce: place the agave syrup, muscovado sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved into the water to form a syrup. Throw in the chopped chilli (seeds and all) and continue to cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes until you have a deep burnished gold sauce speckled with the chilli. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil and fresh coriander, taste and add a little extra lime if you think it necessary.
Peel the carrot and cut into thin rounds approximately 2 mm in thickness. Trim the ends from the pak choi and slice into halves or quarters lengthways, depending on their size. Pour the groundnut oil into a large wok or frying pan and heat until very hot. Add the sliced carrot to the pan and stirfry over a high heat for a minute or so, until the carrot begins to soften slightly. Throw the prawns into the pan and continue to stirfry (moving them around continuously) for 30 seconds before adding in the pak choi. Stir fry for a remaining minute, just long enough for the prawns to cook and the pak choi to wilt slightly. Add the sweet chilli sauce to the pan and stirfry for another 30 seconds before taking off the heat and serving immediately.
Reader Comments (3)
Oh yuummm, I've been looking for a vinegar free sweet chilli and this looks brilliant. Will definitely give it a go!
This looks really good, love the carrots and the pak choi combo, I may try it with chicken though.
I cannot tell you how good this sweet chilli sauce recipe is, much much better and fresher than shop bought! My mouth is literally watering at the thought of it on some succulent prawns. *drools*