Crystal Prawn Ball Soup

Prawn Ball soup

A huge hit at my recent Clever Cook Asian class was the Prawn Ball soup. Mainly because of it’s sheer simplicity and ease to prepare and also due it tasting great!!

I have to admit that I find prawns a bit over rated – they are lost on me. The ones that are bought pre cooked tend to be a bit leathery and tough and the green uncooked ones just add up to all shell and not much substance. I know there are going to be hoards shouting me down, “I don’t know what I am talking about…” but as with all things food, taste is subjective. If it makes you feel any better (or worse), oysters are wasted on me too!!

Prawns, otherwise known to our US friends as shrimp, are very low in calories and saturated fat. They are also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin  B12, Iron, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin D  and Selenium.

Anyway, prawns are integral to Asian cooking. They are highly revered and feature abundantly, especially in yum cha. This is one place where I LOVE prawns! I wonder if it is to do with the fact that they are always combined with pork fat!!

My favorite dumpling is Har Gow. A simple prawn filling wrapped with a rice paper wrapper can be a sheer joy.

As I am trying to stay away from grain, I replicated the filling to be used as a poached skinless dumpling. Feel free to use the filling and wrap it in either rice paper or wheat pastry skins and make your own Har Gow or wontons.

The stock I used is a simple chicken broth made from boiling bones with a few aromatics, ie. carrot & celery. I gave it an Asian flavour with a few slices of ginger & garlic and a dash of mirin.

200 g prawns, cleaned
1 tab tapioca starch

1 eggwhite

50g bamboo shoots

1 spring onion white part only
½ teas salt
1 heaped teas sugar
pinch white pepper

 

a bunch of bok choy

 

Mince the onion & bamboo shoots with the salt & sugar on SP 5, for 5 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and mince for 8 seconds on SP 4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up. Form into teaspoon sized balls.

 

Heat the stock with the sauces until boiling on Varoma SP 3 10 mins.  Insert the steamer basket and add the balls to poach for 5 minutes at 100⁰C SP 2. Remove as they are cooked and add new ones. Lastly, blanch the bok choy and serve as a garnish with some sliced spring onion.

 

And why are prawns described as crystal? I believe that Crystal Prawns are so called because they look transparent if they are cooked properly.