Green Prawns

Who: Chef Philippe Chow

Instagram: @PhilippeChowNYC

Chef Chow’s Guest-Worthy Recipe: Green prawns

Why?

“This is a perfect recipe for guests because everything at Philippe Chow is made to share. The green prawns are a great summer dish to present to guests. The dish is made with fresh ingredients. It is light and adds a bright color of green to any table setting.”

Ingredients:

1/2 lb spinach

1 lb extra-large shrimp, deveined and butterflied

1 tsp tempura powder

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp flour

6 oz chicken soup

1/3 red bell pepper

3 oz carrots

3 oz water chestnuts

3 oz mushrooms

3 oz cashews

Directions:

Blend fresh spinach in food processor or blender.

Combine shrimp, spinach puree, and tempura powder in a bowl; mix well and let the shrimp soak.

Add a half a cup of vegetable oil into a wok that is heated on medium-high heat. Add shrimp and quickly stir-fry for one minute. Then add salt and flour with chicken soup, as well as peppers, carrots, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Stir-fry quickly to retain that crisp bite.

Garnish with cashews.

Wok Cooking Tips:

Add a little oil (sesame oil is good because it burns quickly), then use a kitchen towel (hold towel with a pair of tongs if you wish) to rub the oil over the entire wok, giving it a darkened, blackened effect. Once your wok is seasoned, don’t use a metal scour or iron wool on it, as you will take off the seasoning. If you are short for time, buy a nonstick wok made from carbon steel, which is just as good.

Stir-Frying:

Prepare all ingredients in advance so once you start cooking, you can quickly throw ingredients in when needed.

Use oil with a high smoking point, like peanut or vegetable oils. Avoid cooking with sesame oil or olive oil.

Preheat the wok until the oil is smoking, then keep an eye on the temperature so it’s hot enough to sear food, and cook quickly without burning.

Add food to the wok in this order: Aromatics (garlic, ginger, chilis, etc.), meat or seafood, then vegetables with a sprinkle of water for steam.