Spicy Stir-fried Prawns (Allen and Nirelle)

Ingredients
A
1 1/3 pounds prawns
1T cornstarch
oil for frying

B
2T chopped green onion
1T chopped ginger root
1/2 T minced garlic
1 tsp hot bean paste
1T fermented rice wine or cooking wine
4T ketchup
1/2 T sugar

C
salt
1/2 T cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions
Rinse, shell and devein prawns
Coat prawns with cornstarch
Heat wok, add oil
Deep fry prawns for 2 minutes, remove, drain
Discard oil in wok, reheat wok, add 2 T olive oil
Stir fry (B) until fragrant
Add (C) and bring to boil
Add prawns, stir briefly and transfer to platter


Comments
I coat prawns by shaking them in a bag with the cornstarch. Adjust cooking time for size of the prawns. Adjust boiling time to achieve degree of sauce thickening you like.

The number of people fed by this quantity varies from four to twelve depending on a) whether you are Chinese or American, b) what else is on the menu, c) whether or not you are using chop sticks and d) how many people around the table maintain a Kosher diet.

Leek is a good substitute for green onion. And using good hot bean paste is critical. I have been using Soy Bean Paste with Chili made by Lan Chi. Typically hot bean paste is labelled as "with Chili" not as "hot".