Stir-fried Prawns and Sweet Pork (serves 6)

This recipe is from the Christine Manfield book : SPICE (p126)

Andrea made this recently using "lop chong", sweet Chinese pork sausage instead of the red-cooked sweet pork.

There is a lot of preparation, but then the cooking time is short, so a good recipe for a dinner party where you can prepare ahead and have minimum cooking time.

Nonya Spice Paste

• 12 large dried chillies
• 1 TBS belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste)
• 12 red shallots, sliced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped (or cheat and buy a jar already chopped)
• 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 75 ml vegetable oil
• 2 TBS salted soy beans, mashed
• 3 tsp fish sauce
• 25 g palm sugar, shaved (or use the soft thai style)

Dry-roast the chillies and belacan, separately, over gentle heat until fragrant.  Blend chillies, belacan, shallots, lime leaves, garlic and half the oil to a paste in a food processor.  Heat remaining oil in a frying pan and cook paste over moderate heat for a few minutes until it begins to colour and become fragrant.  Add remaining ingredients and fry for another minute or two.  Spoon into a jar then cover with a a film of oil.  Cool. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Sweet tamarind dressing

• 100 ml tamarind liquid ( 1 part pulp to 4 parts water, simmered and strained, or use concentrate diluted as per normal use)
• 20 ml sugar syrup (equal quantities of castor or brown sugar and water, boiled for 4-5 minutes)
• 20 g palm sugar
• 75 ml strained lime juice
• 25 ml fish sauce
• 2 tsp Ginger juice (ginger chopped and blended with a little water in a food processor and strained through a fine sieve), or just use finely grated young ginger.

Whisk all ingredients together to make dressing.

Main recipe (serves 6)

• 30 green king prawns (shelled, leave tail, clean and butterfly)
• 300 g Chinese sweet pork (or 250 g lop chong), cut into small, thin slices
• 60 ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 6 red shallots, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup Nonya Spice paste (see above)
• 1 red capsicum, finely sliced
• 12 snowpeas, cut in half lengthwise
• 12 baby bok choy, blanched
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves (or less to taste)

1. Heat oils together in a wok and fry shallots for 2 minutes until coloured, then add spice paste and stir over high heat until bubbling.
2. Toss prawns, pork, capsicum, snowpeas and blanched bok choy with paste.
3. Add the dressing and continue to toss over high heat to cook ingredients quickly - all up cooking should only take a few minutes.
4. Stir in basil, then serve immediately.

Yum!  This one is actually a fairly tough call for a red wine, but the 1998 Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz had enough fruit to cope Ok, but was mostly drunk before and after eating this dish rather than during, just enjoy the flavours of the food.