Crunchy Prawn Cakes

Gûng-Fɔ̌ɔi Tɔ̂ɔt     

กุ้งฝอยทอด

Recipe by Thai chef extraordinaire, David Thompson. This is a classic Thai street food dish.

If you buy this dish from a street vendor make sure that it is freshly cooked, drained and served hot. The cold ones sitting on the cart are nowhere near as good.

Gung foi are tiny freshwater prawns but any small fresh prawns are best for this dish as there is no need to peel them. For the unconvinced, peeled prawns will do – although the cakes will be less crunchy. Try to find small prawns or, failing that, chop them. Lime water is  made from lime paste which can be purchased in plastic tubs from Thai food shops and is used in Thai cooking  to make batter crispy when fried.

MAKES 4-5 CAKES

Imgredients:

vegetable oil (nám-man-pʉ̂ʉt น้ำมันพืช) for deep-frying

small raw prawns (gûng-fɔ̌ɔi กุ้งฝอย) about 600g, rinsed and drained, whiskers trimmed or raw prawns (gûng กุ้ง) 1kg, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp chopped coriander (bai pàk-chii ใบผักชี)

For the batter:

lime paste (nám-bpuun sǎi น้ำปูนใส) very small pinch

150g rice flour (bpɛ̂ɛng-kâao แป้งข้าว)

4 tbsp coconut cream (hǔua-gà~tí หัวกะทิ)

1 tsp salt (glʉʉa เกลือ)

Method:

For the batter, dissolve the lime paste in 7 tablespoons water and wait for about 15 minutes until it has completely precipitated. Drain off and reserve the lime water, discarding the sludgy residue. Knead the flour with 4 tablespoons of water to form quite a firm dough. Rest for 30 minutes, then combine the coconut cream, 4 tablespoons of the lime water and the salt and work into the dough. It should have a thick, pancake-like consistency. If the batter is left to stand for some time, dilute it with a little lime water or coconut cream as the flour swells.

Pour the deep-frying oil into a large, stable wok or a wide, heavy-based pan until it is about two-thirds full. Heat the oil over a medium to high flame until a cooking thermometer registers 180C (350F). Alternatively, test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a cube of bread – it will brown in about 15 seconds if the oil is hot enough.

Check the texture and seasoning of the batter by dropping a spoonful of it into the oil. Deep-fry for a moment and then lift out with a spider. Drain and cool slightly, then taste: it shouldn't be too dry or firm and it must be pleasingly salty. Adjust the batter with more lime water or salt, as necessary.

Mix half the prawns with about half the batter. Using a large spoon, carefully drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil: this amount of batter should make 2 or 3 cakes. Deep-fry the prawn cakes until golden, turning two or three times to ensure even cooking and colour. Lift out with a spider and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining prawns and batter. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve with a bowl of sweet chilli and peanut sauce.

To make the sauce, you will need: 1-3 long red chillies, de-seeded and chopped; a good pinch of salt; ½–1 garlic clove, peeled; 125ml white vinegar; 100g white sugar; and 2 tablespoons roasted and ground peanuts. Use a pestle and mortar to pound the chillies with the salt, then add the garlic and pound to a smooth paste. Scrape the paste into a small pan, with the vinegar and sugar, and simmer until thick. Allow to cool before stirring in the ground peanuts.