Butter Prawns, my favorite style

I don't know about you guys, but butter prawns are, at most times, a must order dish for my family when dining at any Chinese restaurants. Although i have an allergy eating prawns, i cannot resist the buttery bits it's cooked with. AH! I love them!! Finally, i manage to get the best ever recipe from an aunt who cooks amazing Chinese dishes. Not quite the ones you get at Chinese restaurant, where the butter bits are yellow, but this is just as good or even better IMHO!

This recipe consists of an ingredient that is not commonly used at the restaurants and, errrrrr, not a very healthy ingredient either, Evaporated Milk. BUT, but cooking it here in America, has somehow made it seem not so bad which you will know why in the pictures below.

We had some guests over and promised them some Malaysian favorites, and of course, Butter Prawns was the main dish =)

Note the "Lowfat" label on the evaporated milk can =)

Ingredients

800g prawns of your choice, (i used fairly large ones) unpeeled, cleaned and trimmed

2tbsp cornflour

1tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp garlic, minced

3tbsp butter

1 can evaporated milk, 250ml

salt and white pepper to taste

1 red chilli, chopped

curry leaves, optional

1 egg yolk, optional

Method

1. In a big bowl, toss prawns in cornflour and soy sauce till well coated. Marinate for about 10 minutes.

2. Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan at medium high fire. Once oil is heated through, lower fire to medium low and fry prawns in batches for a little more than a minute each side. Do not over fry prawns as it will result in tough meat, and you will have to cook them again at the final part of this dish.

3. Once all prawns are fried, set aside. (or you can work work simultaneously on the next steps while frying the prawns)

4. Heat a wok over medium fire, add butter and garlic. Fry till fragrant and pour in evaporated milk.

5. Lower fire and allow liquid to simmer. Season with salt and white pepper. Keep stirring so liquid does not stick to the wok until liquid slowly becomes a very thick paste like consistency. This process will take a good 20 mins or so.

6. At this point, if using, move paste to side of pan and add in egg yolk. Break it up and mix it with paste.

7. Now add in fried prawns, chilli and if using, curry leaves. Keep tossing prawns till paste turns into granules and everything is coated evenly.

8. Turn off fire, serve hot, best eaten with white rice. BON APPETIT!

This dish was very well accepted and savoured to the very last bit!