Putien Recipe: Tea Leaf Prawns

This recipe is courtesy of Putien Restaurant. The Tea Leaf Prawns (part of their Spring Menu this year) are infused just nicely with a gentle tea aroma. Looks simple enough to replicate at home, but I still envy the chef who has a high-BTU gas burner to flash-fry the prawns with.


TEA LEAF PRAWNS (recipe serves 2 to 4)

Main ingredients:
10 large tiger prawns, shelled and deveined
15g Longjing tea leaves

Sauce:
60g honey (Putien uses honey imported from Putian, China)
16g soy sauce
20g dark soy sauce
40g soybean sauce

Steps:
1. Bring water to a boil and pour over the Longjing tea leaves. Let tea steep for 5 mins and strain.

Reserve the tea leaves to make crisp tea leaves for garnishing [air dry the leaves, place them in a fine sieve and lightly fry in 160 degree oil, for 1-2 mins or until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel.]

2. Rinse prawns under running water, pat dry with paper towels. Add Longjing tea and marinate for 2 mins. Drain prawns and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a hot wok to 220 degrees C, add prawns and deep-fry for 30 seconds or till the shells are crisp.

4. Remove prawns from wok and drain, set aside.

5. Prepare sauce: in a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients and set aside.

6. Drain the wok and return the wok to the heat. Add sauce and bring to a boil. Add the prawns and quickly stir-fry until the prawns are evenly coated.

7. Place the prawns on a serving plate, garnish with the crisp tea leaves and serve immediately.