catgate Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 We have just finished our evening meal. It was one of our favourites...Jumbo King prawns deep fried in a batter of corn flour and SR flour with 5 spice powder added, accompanied by a plain boiled rice, with a small amount of Hoi Sin and spring onion sauce......heaven.As I was preparing it I almost "widdled down mi leg". I saw on the Jumbo Prawn packet " Tesco Jumbo King Prawns.....Responsibly Farmed".I wondered how "responsible" the prawns thought they had been "farmed". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 They probably got a 'Fair Trade' wage for growing properly. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dencandy Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I think it means the prawns signed a document to say they were happy to be killed, frozen and then put on sale in Tescos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 We have just finished our evening meal. It was one of our favourites...Jumbo King prawns deep fried in a batter of corn flour and SR flour with 5 spice powder added, accompanied by a plain boiled rice, with a small amount of Hoi Sin and spring onion sauce......heaven.Sounds like another of your delightful recipes, categate...I planned to do your risotto one tonight, but this is very tempting. Could you please give a fuller version, with quantities etc for the batter? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 I am always amused when I see on the fish counter, 'cod loins'. How the hell can they have loins when they don't have legs? It's as daft as fish fingers. Another one seen recently in Sainsbury's, 'wild Alaskan Pollock', they never seem to have tame Alaskan Pollock. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted June 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 , 'wild Alaskan Pollock', they never seem to have tame Alaskan Pollock. I think it is being caught and killed that makes them so angry.I planned to do your risotto one tonight, but this is very tempting.Could you please give a fuller version, with quantities etc for the batter?There is nothing much to it.The rice is just plain boiled basmati, unseasoned. The batter is a mixture of 50/50 cornflour and self-raising flour mixed to an "extra thick cream" consistency (can not quote centipoise or centistokes) with 5 spice powder added to your liking. The thawed out prawns need to be washed and then dried very well so that the batter sticks to them and leaves a nice thin coating (I use a hand towel....sometimes a clean one ) I use corn oil heated up until a small drop of batter dropped in to the oil jump back to the top of the oil instantly. Dump all the prawns into the batter to coat them thoroughly and then drop them one by one into the hot oil. Only put in a quantity that is small enough to allow each one to remain "separated" from its neighbour and remove them when they have achieved the colouring you want. Not quite instantaneous but certainly not much more than a minute. Repeat with next pan full, but lower the heat a little bit.The Hoi Sin you can make with soy sauce and honey or just buy it off the shelf and add some finely diced spring onion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Never underestimate the stupidity of the guardians of our welfare.A pack of table salt I bought recently had a "use-by" date on it. Just think, the salt had been lying quite inert under Cheshire for gazillions of years until someone decides to dig it up, pack it in a little box and put a date on it, two years hence, after which it will be inedible or unusable.Cheddar cheese bearing the claim of "Matured for 15 months" then is lumbered with a five day "eat-by" slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Regarding the batter (above) I think the idea of using a cornflour/SR wheat flour mix is to reduce the gluten content. Gluten tends to make the cooked batter tough and less crispy but some is needed there to hold the batter together as a coating. You can achieve very crisp batter by using icy cold fizzy water for mixing and using as quickly as possible before the gluten has time to fully swell (the cold helps here) and there is still some gas in the fizz to give an extra raise and crunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 To add to pops advice - I always use 75 ml each of plain flour, cornflour and rice flour with 2.5 ml of baking powder. Place a bottle of beer or tonic water in the freezer until on the point of becoming ice.Also place a glass mixing bowl in the freezer an hour beforehand, mix the 3 flours and baking powder in the bowl then add the beer and stir quickly to a runny batter - don't waste time getting rid of all the lumps - the idea is to be quick and keep it really cold. The result is a thin and very crispy tempura batter with very little absorption of the cooking oil. The warmer you allow the batter to get - the more oil it absorbs.Back to Tesco - what about the label on a packet of flaked almonds which states "may contain nuts". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Back to Tesco - what about the label on a packet of flaked almonds which states "may contain nuts". :lol: :lol: Thanks for the info - Alan, -pops- & catgate. I have tried tempura batter a couple of times before. It's much better than the 'heavy' batters. I used just plain (well chilled) water though. Do you think soda water would work as well as fizzy water or beer? The 5 spice addition sounds very tasty. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Soda water, fizzy water fine. I like Alan's idea of tonic to give a bitterness. I think the sugar in it may help the crispness as well - don't use slimline!Another thought, if you are sensitive to gluten in wheat, use a little egg white (definitely not yolk) to act as a "glue" for the starch particles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted June 17, 2009 Report Share Posted June 17, 2009 Never underestimate the stupidity of the guardians of our welfare.A pack of table salt I bought recently had a "use-by" date on it. Just think, the salt had been lying quite inert under Cheshire for gazillions of years until someone decides to dig it up, pack it in a little box and put a date on it, two years hence, after which it will be inedible or unusable.Cheddar cheese bearing the claim of "Matured for 15 months" then is lumbered with a five day "eat-by" slot.What about the 'use by date' on a bottle of Water. This particular one was advertised as having been 'Filtered through Volcanic rock for 10 million years'. When it was bottled they stuck a use by date of June 15, 2009 on it. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted June 18, 2009 Report Share Posted June 18, 2009 Honey too does NOT need a sell by date. It does not go off it just sets more solid. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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