Char-grilled Five Spice Prawns

Name: Char-grilled Five Spice Prawns
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 500g green prawns, peeled and deveined; Fresh herbs, for serving; Sweet Fish Sauce (Nuoc Mam Cham), for serving; Steamed jasmine rice, for serving; ½ small brown onion, finely diced; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 1 kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon coconut cream; 1 teaspoon castor sugar; ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon pickled minced chilli

Char-grilled five spice prawns are a great filling for Vietnamese rice flour crepes, bánh xèo, or served simply with a platter of fresh herbs and leaves – such as perilla, Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, bean sprouts and lettuce – and steamed rice. They can be threaded onto skewers for a barbecue too. However you serve them, add some nuoc mam cham (see video below), the sweet fish sauce that accompanies every Vietnamese meal, for drizzling or dipping.

Serves 2

Ingredients

500g green prawns, peeled and deveined
Fresh herbs, for serving
Nuoc Mam Cham (Sweet Fish Sauce), for serving
Steamed jasmine rice, for serving

Five-Spice Marinade

½ small brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coconut cream
1 teaspoon castor sugar
½ teaspoon Chinese five spice
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon pickled minced chilli

Method

Make Five Spice Marinade: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cut prawns into bite-sized pieces.
Add to Marinade and stir to coat well.
Cover and set aside for 30–60 minutes (or refrigerate for longer).
Meanwhile, arrange herbs on a platter.
Pre-heat a barbecue or char-grill pan to medium–high heat.
Grill prawn pieces for a minute or 2, turning occasionally so they’re lightly-coloured all over and opaque almost all the way through, remember they’ll keep cooking in the residual heat after you remove them.
Transfer to a platter and serve with fresh herbs, Sweet Fish Sauce and steamed rice.