This Singapore chilli prawns is my gluten free version of a Singaporean seafood gastronomy amazingly popular in Singapore and Malaysia. Mud crabs are most frequently used, followed by prawns, stir-fried in a special sumptuous, sweet and savoury sauce made from tomato, chilli, garlic, onion and rice wine vinegar, beaten egg and thickened with corn flour. This flavourful sauce is made delectably aromatic and has a distinctive fluffy consistency. This gluten free recipe is also dairy free, nut free and soy free.
History of Singapore Chilli Crabs and Prawns
Possibly one of Singapore’s most supreme culinary creations, frequently referred to as Singapore’s national seafood dish, making this famous dish a must-try. It is ranked at number 35 on World’s 50 most delicious foods list collected by CNN Go in 2011. History of Singapore chilli crabs dated all the way back to 1950, when Cher Yam Tian and her husband Lim Choo Ngee started selling stir-fried crabs mixed with bottled tomato and chilli sauce from a pushcart. This was an impromptu recipe, the initial recipe did not include bottled chilli sauce. By 1956, a flourishing business retailing this dish incited the founding of a brick and mortal restaurant located in Palm Beach, Singapore.
Health Benefits and Nutritional Values of Prawns
Prawns belong to one of two groups of shellfish, namely crustaceans and molluscs. Crustaceans include prawns, scampi, crabs, lobsters and crayfish. While Molluscs include shellfish like oysters, mussels, scallops and cockles, plus calamari, squid, octopus and cuttlefish. All shellfish in this category is an excellent source of protein, not only minerals rich but also very low in calories and extremely high in Omega 3 fatty acid. Thus, prawns do not cause high cholesterol levels in our physique due to their healthy fat content.
Quite contrary to the common beliefs that prawns cause high cholesterol. In fact, prawns have very low calories, two times less than chicken and three times less than beef. Prawns are abundant in minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, copper and selenium. Selenium is an antioxidant that supports healthy cells growth and boost the immune system. Prawns are also a rich source of Vitamin B6 and B12. Prawns are healthy provided you cook them in healthier ways like stir-fry, steamed, barbecued, grilled or cooked with a ‘good’ unsaturated fat like olive oil and rice bran oil.
Singapore Chilli Prawns
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg large fresh king prawns shelled butterflied and deveined, tails intact
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- Steamed rice to serve
For The Chilli Paste:
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small brown union cut into wedges
- 5 long fresh red chillies deseeded and cut into 3cm pieces
For The Sauce:
- 1 medium Truss tomato peeled deseeded and diced into 2cm pieces
- 5 tablespoons gluten free tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons gluten free tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon gluten free sweet chilli sauce Lingham’s
- 1 tablespoon gluten free rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon gluten free corn maize flour, mixed well with 3 tablespoons of water
For The Marinade:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Add the chillies, garlic and onion into a food processor, blend until you get a smooth paste and set aside in a bowl.
- Marinate the prawns with ground white pepper and salt.
- Heat up a wok with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir-fry the prawns for 2 to 3 minutes on medium to high heat. Remove the prawns and juice and set aside. Clean wok with kitchen paper towel.
- Heat up the wok with another 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, stir-fry the chilli paste for 2 minutes or until aromatic on medium to high heat. Then add the sauce prepared earlier and stir-fry for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Return the prawns and juice to the wok, stir-fry and mix the sauce well with the prawns. Lastly, add the egg and stir fry and mix well with the sauce for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until prawns are just cooked.
- Serve hot with steamed rice and lemon wedges.
