Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Steamed Split Prawns with Garlic and Vermicelli
蒜蓉粉絲蒸開邊蝦
Recipe overview
Fresh prawns are butterflied along the back and deveined so the garlic sauce reaches the flesh, while mung bean vermicelli absorbs the prawn juices. Cook the garlic gently; remove the platter as soon as shells are orange-red and flesh is opaque yet springy.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 12, about 600 g Medium fresh prawns (Similar-sized intact shell-on prawns; retain heads, shells and tails; butterfly and devein before use)
- 80 g Mung bean vermicelli (Soak in room-temperature water until bendable with a slight firm core; drain and cut short)
- 10 cloves, about 40 g Garlic (Peel and mince very finely; do not use whole cloves)
- 10 g Ginger (Peel and cut into thin matchsticks for beneath noodles and prawns)
- 2 Spring onions (Dice whites for garlic sauce; slice greens thinly for finishing)
- 1/4 Red bell pepper (Deseed and dice finely; use a little in sauce and for garnish)
- As needed Water (Only for noodles, quick prawn rinsing and steamer; never add to the garlic sauce or steaming juices)
Prawn seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (Omit for a child-friendly or alcohol-free version)
- A pinch White pepper (Omit for children if preferred)
Garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cooking oil (For gently frying the minced garlic)
- 1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
Vermicelli seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cooking oil (Toss through vermicelli to prevent clumping after steaming)
02
Tools
- Steamer with lid or steam oven
- Steamer with lid or steam oven
- steaming rack
- large heatproof steaming platter
- small frying pan
- wooden spoon or small spatula
- wooden spoon or small spatula
- large bowl
- small bowl
- colander
- knife
- chopping board
- kitchen scissors
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- tongs
- oven gloves
03
Steps
Step 1
Soak and cut vermicelli
Soak mung bean vermicelli in room-temperature water for about 10 minutes. Drain when bendable but slightly firm in the centre, then cut to 12–15 cm; do not use hot water.
Step 2
Trim prawn spikes
Lay each prawn on a board and cut off the head spike, long feelers and legs with kitchen scissors, keeping the head, shell and tail whole.
Step 3
Butterfly and devein
With the back upward, cut from behind the head toward the tail along the back only. Keep the belly connected, open gently, then lift out the dark intestinal vein with a toothpick or knife tip.
Step 4
Rinse and dry prawns
Rinse the back cuts quickly, drain in a colander and pat every shell, exposed flesh and cut dry with kitchen paper; never soak for long.
Step 5
Season prawns lightly
Arrange the 12 butterflied prawns flesh-side up, add Shaoxing wine and white pepper lightly, and rest 5 minutes. Do not marinate with soy sauce or salt.
Step 6
Prepare garlic and vegetables
Finely mince garlic; dice spring-onion whites, shred greens and dice bell pepper. Reserve greens and a little pepper for the finish.
Step 7
Gently fry garlic
Heat oil in a small pan over low heat. Stir about two-thirds of garlic constantly for 45–60 seconds until very pale golden and fragrant, then turn off the heat.
Step 8
Finish garlic sauce
Stir remaining raw garlic, onion whites, some pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and sesame oil into warm garlic. It must be moist and even, never dark brown or bitter.
Step 9
Season and line platter
Toss drained vermicelli gently with soy sauce and oil. Spread thinly on the white oval platter with ginger beneath, leaving room around the edge.
Step 10
Arrange prawns and sauce
Put all prawns flesh-side up in one layer over vermicelli, with heads facing outward. Spoon garlic sauce into each back opening and spread remaining sauce over noodles.
Step 11
Steam until just cooked
Bring steamer water to a vigorous steam first. Wearing oven gloves, steam the platter over high heat for 5–6 minutes, until every shell is orange-red and flesh opaque but springy.
Step 12
Garnish and serve immediately
Remove at once, scatter onion greens and remaining pepper, and gently loosen edge vermicelli with chopsticks. Serve once noodles are soft; an adult removes all shells and sharp parts for children and older adults.
Common mistakes
- Using hot water until noodles are soft: they break and clump; use room-temperature water until only bendable.
- Leaving head spikes on: they can injure hands or mouths; trim spikes, long feelers and legs first.
- Cutting prawns fully in half: they fall apart; cut only the back and retain the belly.
- Leaving intestinal vein: it can be gritty or bitter; inspect the complete back cut.
- Not drying prawns: sauce is diluted; drain and pat dry immediately.
- Frying garlic hot: it burns and turns bitter; use low heat.
- Frying all garlic: flavour becomes harsh; add one-third raw off heat.
- Piling noodles thickly: centre stays firm; spread thinly.
- Adding prawns before boiling: they release water and toughen; wait for abundant steam.
- Oversteaming: flesh shrinks and toughens; remove when just opaque.
- Keeping platter in steamer: residual heat overcooks prawns; remove immediately.
- Letting children shell prawns alone: sharp parts remain; an adult must do this first.
Tips
Choose similarly sized prawns. Keep fresh prawns chilled and steam promptly. Cut along the back on a board, never toward your hand. Check the whole back cut if the vein breaks. Vermicelli continues absorbing juice while steaming. Garlic needs low heat. Simply omit Shaoxing wine if unavailable. Do not overlap prawns. Check small prawns at 5 minutes and large ones at 10. Serve immediately. Confirm shellfish and oyster-sauce allergies. Remove shells, heads, tails and sharp parts for children and older adults.
