Chilli Prawns (Hae Bee Hiam) by Laurie Suarez

Keep your Tofu, and Tamarind Paste and stinky Shrimp Paste to yourself... this is how to cook chilli prawns, served as a side dish or a main if you want it to be HOT & TASTY!

Ingredients:

For the Prawn Marinade

• 500g banana prawns, deveined & shells removed

• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

• ! Teaspoon Cornflour (Cornstarch)

• 1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper

• 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

For the Stir-Fry Chilli Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce (Ketchup)

• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Sweet Chilli sauce

• 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced

• 2 Shallots, finely chopped

• 4 Red Chilli Peppers, deseeded & finely chopped (adjust to taste)

• Pinch of Salt

For Cooking

• 1 Onion, chopped into lengths

• 3 Capsicum (Bell Peppers), Red or of various colours, sliced into lengths

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

For Garnish

• Spring Onions (Scallions), chopped

• Fresh Coriander (Cilantro), leaves chopped

• Lime Wedges for serving

Method:

1. Marinade Your Prawns

In a large bowl, combine your prawns with the soy sauce, cornflour, white pepper, and sugar. Leave them to marinate on the bench for 20 minutes.

2. Prepare the Chilli Sauce

In another bowl, mix the tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and sugar - set aside.

3. Heat a Large Saucepan or Wok

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

4. Sear Your Marinated Prawns

To your hot pan, add the marinated prawns and cook for 1 minute on each side until they become pink and white. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

5. Cook the Vegetables

In the same pan, add a small amount more oil if needed, then add the minced garlic and shallots, stir-frying for around a minute until fragrant.

Add the sliced capsicum and onion. Stir fry for another 2 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender.

6. Add the Chilli Sauce Preparation

Pour your chilli sauce preparation over the vegetables and stir to conbine. Turn the heat down and Simmer for a further 2 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.

7. Add the Prawns Back In

Return the prawns to the pan with the vegetables and sauce, tossing them to combine. Cook for another 3 minutes untill the prawns are heated back up again and everything is good mates / combined.

8. Garnish & Serve

Serve your Hae Bee Hiam style Aussie Chilli Prawns onto plates, or side plates, or one big platter for the centere of the table... and Garnish with your reserved chopped spring onions and coriander and lime cheaks or wedges.

Recipe Variations:

What are you, some kind of a chef now? Follow the recipe as instructed!

Jokes aside: Some good vegetables to consider adding at the same stage as the capsicum include snow peas, leek and fennel bulb.

Not a fan of fresh coriander / Cilantro? Replace with Parsley or Mint, or Dill or all three.

Blue Crab = Sand Crab = Blue Swimmer Crab = YUM!

Australian Sand Crabs / Blue Swimmer Crabs v. U.S.A. Blue Crabs

Blue Crabs sold in Australia are huge compared to their North American cousins, due to the comparatively clean and pollution-free waterways, the fact that the crab itself is a slightly different species, and regulations governing the minimum size at which professional and recreational crabbers can keep and sell Blue Swimmer Crabs or Sand Crabs as we call them Down Under.

To get a proper understanding of how big Aussie blue crabs are, you really should come and visit Australia... for now, though, they are about double to triple the size of what is sold as Blue Crab in the United States. So it's a big crab feast Down Under. Cooked Sand Crabs are retailing for AU$ 35.99 /kg at my seafood shop in Australia. That equates to US$ 6.48 /lb for monster-size Blue Crabs. What are you paying where you live?

Sand Crab Girl's Chilli Blue Crab Recipe

Recipe Research

This recipe was devised by cooking several dozen Chilli Mud Crab recipes, and several dozen Sand Crab Recipes, including traditional Singaporean, Malaysian, and Australian versions... with some recipes from the United States and Canada for Blue Crab (hard shell and soft shell). Sarcasm: 'Oh I suffered for this dish!'

Ingredients for 2 Adults to Feast:

• 6 'A' Grade Uncooked or 'Green' (Raw) Australian Sand Crabs / Blue Swimmer Crabs (or 10-12 USA hard shell Blue Crabs).

• Any Vegetables you enjoy that are suited to stir-frying: sliced long and about the same size e.g. Capsicum (Peppers) / Onion / Fennel Bulb / Carrot.

• 3 tablespoons neutral Oil for stir-frying

• 4 cloves Garlic, freshly minced

• 2-inch piece of Ginger freshly minced or 1 tablespoon (minced Ginger from a jar)

• 3 long Chilli Peppers, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon Chilli Paste for stir-fries

• 1 cup Tomato Sauce /Ketchup

• 1/2 cup Seafood or Chicken Stock (low sodium)

• 1 tablespoon Tamari (a type of Soy Sauce)

• 2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

• 2 tablespoons Brown or Palm Sugar

• 1 egg, beaten

• Salt and Pepper

• 2 cups Water (room temperature) with 2 tablespoons Cornflour (cornstarch) mixed in

• Your Choice of 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Coriander leaves (cilantro) to garnish (and or) 1/2 cup finely chopped Spring Onions (green onions) to garnish (and or) 1/2 cup fresh Mint leaves whole to garnish

Sand Crab Laurie's Method for Chilli Blue Crab

• Clean the raw Blue Swimmer Crabs, retain the top shells (carapace), the crab mustard, the claws, and the crab bodies quartered or halved.

• Put all ingredients (except the Garnishes, beaten egg, and prepared crab) into a large pot that has a lid - cook on high heat for 10 minutes, with the lid on - stirring occasionally.

• Add all the crab, Cover, and cook further 3 minutes.

• Remove from heat and remove the lid. Stir in beaten egg

• Serve on a huge platter family style, and add your garnish/s.

Serve and enjoy Australian-style chili Blue Crab.