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| Image by pattayatoday |
Ingredients:
- 1 kilo prawns (about 30-32 pieces per kilo)
- 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
- Ice cold water
- Pinch of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 cups cooking oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 beef broth cube
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon grated radish
- Clean prawns in water. Remove the heads and shells but leave intact a small part of the shell near the tail. Remove the shell cover of the frontal part of the tails.
- Place each prawn on a cutting board and make a shallow cut down the back with a paring knife. Pick out its "vein" (or digestive tract), which resembles a thin black string.
- Make diagonal cuts along the inner side of each prawn to stretch it.
- Flatten the tail of each prawn on a cutting board and scrape off the dirt on the lower half of the tail with a knife. The dirt will pop out.
- Position each prawn flat on the table. Squeeze its sides gently to straighten and lengthen its figure.
- Put about 1 cup of the flour in a bowl. Hold each prawn by the tail and roll in a bowl of flour. Set aside.
- Prepare the batter: Mix together just enough of the remaining flour with the ice cold water to produce a watery consistency. Add baking powder and cornstarch. (The cold water makes the batter swell and become puffy when it is fried in hot oil). Heat cooking oil in a large wok or deep fryer. Oil must be very hot. To test if the oil is hot enough, put in a small amount of batter on the oil. If the batter floats, then the oil is ready.
- Holding it by its tail, dip each floured prawn in the batter.
- While still holding each prawn by the tail, position it gently in heated oil. Deep fry until golden yellow and crisp.
- Remove prawns from oil and drain on paper towels or wire rack. Serve the prawns with the dip.
To prepare Dip: In a small saucepan, heat water. Dissolve beef cube. Add soy sauce, sugar, ginger and radish. Mix well. Serve with tempura.
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