Cereal butter prawns

This crunchy, buttery, aromatic savoury dish is a Singaporean favourite. To achieve the crunchy coating, it's customary to use Nestum (a coarsely milled mixed-grain cereal) tossed through butter that has been spiked with birdseye chillies and aromatic curry leaves – but you can also use quick oats.

Cereal butter prawns Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

It's nice to stick to the original method by keeping the shells on the prawns, as these impart a much deeper flavour. However, you're welcome to peel the prawns before cooking, if you like – just be wary of overcooking them.

Stream free On Demand

Tastes Like Home

Watch the full episode here.

G

Watch the full episode here.

G

Ingredients

• 500 g green king prawns
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• vegetable oil, for shallow frying, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 1 tbsp milk powder
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1 cup Nestum cereal (see note) or quick oats
• 30 g butter
• 15 curry leaves
• 2 birds eye chillies, sliced

Instructions

1. Use a pair of sharp kitchen scissors to trim the legs and feelers off the prawns. Place the prawns in a bowl and season with the salt and sugar. Pour the whisked egg over the top and toss to coat. Sift the flour and cornflour together over the prawns and stir to combine.
2. In a wok, heat enough oil to shallow-fry the prawns, until smoking. Fry the prawns in batches until crispy, then set aside to drain on a wire rack.
3. Mix the milk powder, chicken bouillon powder and Nestum or oats in a bowl to combine. Heat the extra oil and the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the curry leaves and sliced chilli, frying until fragrant.
4. Add the Nestum or oats mixture and toast, continuously stirring, until golden. Add the prawns and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Note

• You can find Nestum cereal at most Asian grocers. If you can't find it, use quick oats instead.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

It's nice to stick to the original method by keeping the shells on the prawns, as these impart a much deeper flavour. However, you're welcome to peel the prawns before cooking, if you like – just be wary of overcooking them.

Stream free On Demand

Tastes Like Home

Watch the full episode here.

G

Watch the full episode here.

G