Prawn Hot Pot

Wednesday Dinner

- Prawn Hot Pot

Soup stock for this Nabe is a mixture of Japanese Dashi stock and prawn stock made from prawn heads and shells.  But the hero of the dish was prawn and Tofu balls.  It was soft, succulent and somehow more prawny than prawn itself!  I won't bother with prawns with tails next time and turn all prawn meat into delicious prawn and Tofu balls.

Prawn Hot Pot Recipe (Serves 2-4)

Ingredients

• 500g fresh whole prawns
• 250g Tofu
• 1Tbsp arrowroot powder or potato starch
• 1/4 Chinese cabbage
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 celery stalks

Seasoning

• 500ml Dashi stock
• 1Tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• a touch of cayenne pepper

Method

1. Peel the prawns (reserve heads and shells) and de-vein them
2. Make prawn stock by frying heads and shells in an oiled pot
3. When crispy, add 1L of water and simmer for 15mins
4. Make prawn balls by mixing minced prawn meat, Tofu, arrowroot powder and salt. 
5. Strain prawn stock and transfer to a clay pot
6. Add about 500ml of Dashi stock, fish sauce, lemon juice to a claypot and turn the heat on
7. Add hard vegetables (white part of Chinese cabbage, carrot, celery)
8. When boiling, drop prawn balls mixture into the soup using 2 spoons
9. Add cubed Tofu and green parts of Chinese cabbage just before serving