Thai Crispy Garlic Prawns

GOONG TOD KRATIEM PRIK THAI (Thai Crispy Garlic Prawns)

Insatiably Epicurious

My husband was over the moon when we had this dish in Las Vegas’ Lotus of Siam; deemed the best Thai restaurant in the US. I love bringing food home from our travels and this is very much a copycat recipe of their wonderful dish.

Ingredients:

1 1/2lbs large shrimp (at least U16/20)deveined and shells attached

1 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 bulbs garlic, finely minced

8 - 10 stems cilantro, stems finely minced (reserve leaves for garnish)

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce (MegaChef, Red Boat, or 3 Crabs)

1 tbsp oyster sauce 

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

1. Gently pull shells away from the meat, but stop at the tail. Repeat until all shrimp are this way. 

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, starch, and salt and mix thoroughly. 

3. Add 3-4 shrimp at a time to the bowl and gently toss until thoroughly coated in batter, included the interior and exterior of the shell. Set those shrimp aside and repeat with other shrimp until completed.

4. In a small pan of sauce pot, set on low heat. Add about 2 tbsp oil. Give it a few min to warm up. Add garlic and let sizzle until fragrant. Add cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and pepper. Stir occasionally and let it cook together slowly. After a few min, turn off heat and set aside. 

5. In a Dutch oven or deep pot for frying fill up about 2 1/2 to 3” of oil. Set on medium heat. When the oil temp reaches 360, it is ready. If you don’t have a thermometer, there are other ways to test the oil. Using a dry wooden chopstick, place it in the middle of the pot. If oil bubbles form around the chopstick, it’s hot enough. 

6. Shake off excess batter and gently lower shrimp one by one. Make sure to fry in small batches and there is enough space for the shrimp to move. After a few min, turn shrimp over. 

7. Once shrimp is golden, shake off excess oil and place onto a platter lined with a paper towel. Repeat until all shrimp is fried.

8. Place fried shrimp in a large bowl and gently toss or fold in garlic sauce until the shrimp is covered. 

9. Pour onto a serving platter. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.