Recipe | Sesame Prawn Toasts

Moreish, prawnish and very celebratory, these tasty triangles will get a feast started on the right foot

Chinese New Year begins on Friday February 12th this year and ends with the Lantern Festival on the 26th, and is a celebration of the arrival of Spring as well as moving into a new calendar year. If you’re marking the start of Chinese New Year this weekend why not make these crispy and very moreish sesame prawn toasts as part of the feast? They’re a bit of effort but well worth it.

Serves 4

200g prawns (if using frozen, defrost in the fridge overnight then pat dry; de-vein and de-shell , if necessary)
1 tsp finely-grated ginger
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1 egg white
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 tsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp each of salt and pepper
3 pieces of thick sliced white bread, each cut into 4 triangles
100g sesame seeds (on a plate)
Groundnut or sunflower oil for shallow frying
Chopped coriander, soy or sweet chilli sauce for serving

1 Blitz the prawns, ginger, garlic, egg white, spring onions, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor until you have a thick paste.
2 Spread the blitzed prawn paste on one side of each triangle of bread.
3 Gently press the prawn paste side of each triangle into the sesame seeds on a plate. Set aside for frying.
4 Heat 2-3cm of oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat. Make sure it's hot, but not so hot it's smoking. Drop small piece of bread into the oil – if it bubbles straight away, the oil is ready.
5 Place two of the triangles (prawn and sesame seed side facing down) in the oil and cook for 1-2 mins, or until the sesame seeds are golden. Fry one or two slices at a time or the oil temperature will drop and you may end up with soggy prawn toasts!
6 Turn the toast over and cook for a further 1 min. Remove and place on kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining triangles.
7 Serve whilst hot with a sprinkling of chopped coriander and soy sauce or a sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

Cook’s note: If you don't eat them all, let them cool, then freeze in an airtight container. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight and oven bake at 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6 for 7-8 mins, or until piping hot throughout.

This recipe is part of our Feast of Good Fortune menu to mark the start of the Year of the Ox in our February issue. You can find the rest of the recipes, including potstickers and steamed fish, from page 34.

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More from our February issue…

More feasts from our Gathering pages…

Chinese New Year recipe: Braised belly pork

At this time of year the Chinese choose dishes that are symbolic of prosperity, longevity and a fresh start. So tuck in!

What February needs is something to liven things up, to add a splash of colour and a bit of energy to the dog-end of winter. Lucky then that we can adopt the vibrant annual celebration of Chinese New Year* (In 2017 it falls on 28 January and marks the start of the Year of the Rooster). 

Jenny Linford always takes time to celebrate it: “I spent part of my childhood living in Singapore and my memories from that time revolve around food: from eating satay, freshly cooked over charcoal, to family outings with my cousins to dine on tasty Hainanese chicken rice.
Chinese New Year is huge in Singapore. As a child, I loved collecting the ‘ang pow’ (envelopes of money) given to me by family and friends, as is traditional, and feeling very rich! Though I live in London, I still mark the day by cooking a Chinese-inspired meal for family and friends. Bringing together loved ones to feast and talk is always meaningful – and convivial.”

Braised belly pork

A homely stew with a kick is always a welcome sight. Fluffy rice will mop up the juices nicely

Serves 6
1kg belly pork, skin on, boned, cut into 2.5cm chunks
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
2.5cm piece of root ginger, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 star anise
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 tbsp Chinese rice wine or Amontillado sherry
1 tbsp tomato purée
600ml chicken stock, preferably fresh
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
salt, to taste
chopped green spring onion, to garnish

1 Heat a large, heavy frying pan. Put in the belly pork, skin side down, and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 mins until the skin crisps and browns, then turn over and fry briefly until the flesh whitens.
2 Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Fry the onion, leeks, ginger and garlic, stirring to prevent browning, until softened.
3 Add the fried pork belly and star anise to the casserole dish and sprinkle over the five-spice powder, mixing well. Add the rice wine and fry, stirring for 2–3 mins.
4 Mix in the tomato purée and add the stock, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 mins. Season to taste with salt.
5 Uncover and simmer for 30 mins to reduce the liquid, stirring now and then. Cover, cool and chill until required, then heat through thoroughly. Garnish with chopped green spring onion and serve.

This recipe is taken from issue 44 of The Simple Things (February 2016). Back issues are available from our shop, but as this one has sold out you can find a PDF of the full menu here. 

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