Last week, Dubai won the bid to Expo 2020 and in celebration, all schools were closed on 28 November. Coupled with UAE’s 42nd National Day, we had a long 5-day weekend. With all the joy and celebration, one should get drunk isn’t it? 
I used to be able to hold my liquor very well, especially during my clubbing days. Now I rarely drink and I believe it would be rather easy to get me drunk … not that you should try. My main source of alcohol consumption now is food, when I use alcohol in baking and cooking. This drunken prawns dish is one of the more potent ones. I must have added a tat too much chinese wine as my hubs complained that the alcohol was too strong. Maybe subconsciously I was trying to get him drunk and see if he could do a few drunken fist moves. Haha.
The way to prepare drunken prawns is to use live prawns, get them to drink the wine (and pass out), then cook them. Unfortunately all the prawns I see here are “certified” so all I can do is make sure that they are still fresh.
Here’s the recipe for drunken prawns, adapted from here and here. Enjoy!
DRUNKEN PRAWN 醉虾
Ingredients:
- 500 gram live/fresh prawns
- 8 gram Chinese angelica root (dang gui 当归) I didn’t have this so I used codonopsis root (dang shen 党参) instead
- 8 gram solomon seal rhizome (yu zhu pian 玉竹片)
- 6 red dates (hong zao 红枣), seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon chinese wolfberries or goji berries (gou zi ji 枸杞子)
- 30 ml chinese wine (shaoxing huadiao jiu 绍兴花雕酒)
- 200 ml water
- Salt, to taste
Method:
- If you are able to get live prawns, rinse the prawns and put them in a container. Pour chinese wine and close the lid because the prawns will jump! In about 10 minutes, they will pass out and stop jumping. Now will be the time to trim their feelers and arrange them in a steam tray/plate. Continue with step 3.
- For fresh prawns, trim and wash the prawns then pat dry and arrange them in a steam tray/plate in single layer. Pour chinese wine over the prawns and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Add herbs and water into a small pot. Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in salt.
- Arrange herbs on top of the prawns and pour the remaining water over the prawns.
- Steam over boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, until prawns turn pink. Remove and serve immediately.
