Sichuan prawns with green beans and tofu
This recipe contains a lot of ingredients but is very simple to throw together on a hot day when you want a flavourful meal with minimum effort.
Ingredients
For the pickle
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 50g/1¾oz dried Chinese wood ear mushrooms, shredded, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and drained
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú radishes, trimmed and finely sliced
- ½ cucumber, sliced into julienne strips
- 2 tbsp tamari or low-sodium light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp clear rice vinegar
- ½ tsp chilli bean paste
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp chilli oil
- small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
For the prawns
- 2 tbsp chilli bean paste
- 6 tbsp runny honey
- 6 tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce
- 4 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and minced
- 6–8 large tiger prawns, deveined, head on, tail on and body shell removed
- 1–2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, cut into half-moon slices
- 1 green chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
- large handful long dried chillies
- 2 celery sticks, sliced on the diagonal into 2.5cm/1in pieces
- pinch Chinese five-spice powder
- 1–2 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp chilli oil
- handful roasted peanuts, left whole
- small handful fresh coriander stems and leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
- freshly steamed jasmine rice, to serve
For the green beans and tofu
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp dry-toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 200g/7oz French beans, trimmed and sliced into 5mm/¼in rounds
- 1–2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1–2 tbsp clear rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 1–2 tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 200g/7oz ready-to-eat, firm silken tofu, drained and sliced into 1cm/½in cubes, chilled for 20 minutes and served as one block
- small handful fresh coriander (stems and leaves), finely chopped, to garnish
Method
To make the pickle, mince the garlic, ginger and spring onions in a small food processor or blender. Transfer to a bowl and add the drained mushrooms, radish and cucumber. Add the tamari, rice vinegar, chilli bean paste, sesame oil and chilli oil and stir to combine. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
To make the prawns, mix 1 tbsp of the chilli bean paste with 3 tbsp of the honey, 3 tbsp of the soy sauce, 3 tbsp of Shaoxing rice wine, the garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Set aside a small amount of the marinade for finishing the dish. Add the prawns to the marinade, mix and leave to marinate for a couple of minutes or 15 minutes if you have time.
Place a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking. Rub 1 tablespoon oil over the prawns. Add the prawns on one side of the griddle and leave for 20 seconds. Turn the prawns over and cook for another 15 seconds.
While the prawns are cooking, place the onion on the other side of griddle, stir-fry for 10 seconds to soften, release the flavour and caramelise at the edges. Add the green chillies, dried chillies and celery. Add the five-spice powder to the vegetables.
Deglaze the pan with the remaining Shaoxing rice wine, combining the prawns with the vegetables in the pan. Season everything with the remaining chilli bean paste, light soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar and chilli oil. Add the peanuts and toss everything together. Stir in the coriander stems and garnish with coriander leaves.
To make the green beans and tofu, place a wok over a high heat and, when the wok starts to smoke, add the oil. Add the ginger, Sichuan peppercorns and red chilli and toss for a few seconds. Add the French beans, toss well, then add a small splash of cold water to create some steam to cook the beans. Toss for 2–3 minutes until the beans are tender, then season with the lemon juice, vinegar, light soy sauce, chilli oil and sesame oil. Remove from the heat.
Place the chilled tofu on a plate and pour the beans over. Garnish with the coriander leaves and stems.
Add the coriander to the pickle and toss together to combine with the pickle. Serve all the dishes in separate bowls, drizzling the remaining marinade over the prawns, and take to the table for family serving along with the steamed jasmine rice.
