Prawns fried in young green rice flakes (tom chien com)

Luke wraps prawns in pork paste before coating in green rice and frying until crisp. If you can't find pork paste you can make your own by pureeing pork mince seasoned with fish sauce, white pepper and a little sugar.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g large raw tiger prawns
• 300 g (10½ oz) pork paste (from Asian butcher)
• 150 g (5½ oz) young green rice flakes
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Instructions

1. Peel the body of the prawns, leaving the heads and tails intact, then devein them.
2. With oiled hands, take a heaped tablespoon of pork paste. Shape the paste around the body of one prawn (leaving the head and tail uncovered), pressing it tightly to coat the prawn evenly. Repeat with the remaining paste and prawns.
3. Sprinkle the rice flakes on a flat tray and roll the prawns in the flakes, creating a thick coating of flakes around the pork paste.
4. Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan to 180°C (350°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds.
5. Add the prawns in batches, and deep-fry, for 2 minutes or until crisp.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.