This delicious Chinese takeaway style king prawn with cashew nuts recipe is great for a midweek dinner, with healthy onion, carrot, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
Chinese takeaway dishes are great fun to recreate at home, mainly because they are so delicious, but also because stir frying is so quick and eventful. With everything prepared, the cooking process takes just moments, which makes many of these dishes ideal for midweek dinners too. When time is short, a hot wok and this easy recipe are your friend!
Ingredients For Chinese Takeaway Style King Prawn With Cashew Nuts
As well as the sizzling king prawns and cashew nuts included in the name, this dish is also loaded with healthy vegetables like onion, carrot, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. The ingredients are wok-fried and combined with garlic and a delicious savoury sauce made with oyster sauce, soy sauce and light stock.
- Oyster Sauce
- Light Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Tomato Ketchup
- White Pepper
- MSG
- Light Chicken Stock
- Sunflower Oil
- Fresh Raw King Prawns
- Sea Salt
- Onion
- Carrot
- Bamboo Shoots
- Water Chestnuts
- Cashew Nuts
- Chopped Garlic in Oil
- Potato Starch
- Water
- Rice Wine
- Sesame Oil
How To Make King Prawn With Cashew Nuts
Step 1: King Prawns
Pat 9 fresh raw king prawns dry with kitchen paper and add to a bowl with pinch sea salt, pinch MSG, pinch white pepper, dash rice wine and dash sesame oil. Mix briefly and set aside.
Step 2: Sauce
In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, Dash dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup, Pinch white pepper, Pinch msg and 125 ml light chicken stock. Mix well and set aside.
Step 3: Stir Fry
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil. Add 1/2 onion, roughly chopped, the seasoned king prawns, 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced, 1 small handful tinned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained and sliced, 1 small handful tinned water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and sliced and 1 handful raw cashew nuts. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the prawns are just changing colour. Add 1 generous teaspoon chopped garlic in oil and stir fry for another 30-40 seconds. Add the prepared sauce, mix well and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly. Add 1 teaspoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water, stirring well (all of the mix may not be needed). Add 1 tablespoon rice wine and Dash sesame oil and mix well once more.
Step 4: Serve
Transfer king prawn with cashew nuts to a serving plate and serve with egg fried rice and prawn crackers.
I hope you’ll try this king prawn with cashew nuts recipe. If you do, leave a review or let me know in the comments how it went!
King Prawn with Cashew Nuts (Chinese Takeaway Style)
Equipment
- 1 Wok or Large Frying Pan
Ingredients
King Prawns
- 9 fresh raw king prawns
- pinch sea salt
- pinch MSG
- pinch white pepper
- dash rice wine
- dash sesame oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- Dash dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup
- Pinch white pepper
- Pinch msg
- 125 ml light chicken stock
Stir-Fry
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 small handful tinned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained and sliced
- 1 small handful tinned water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and sliced
- 1 handful raw cashew nuts see notes
- 1 generous teaspoon chopped garlic in oil
- 1 teaspoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- Dash sesame oil
Instructions
King Prawns
- Pat 9 fresh raw king prawns dry with kitchen paper and add to a bowl with pinch sea salt, pinch MSG, pinch white pepper, dash rice wine and dash sesame oil. Mix briefly and set aside.
- In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, Dash dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup, Pinch white pepper, Pinch msg and 125 ml light chicken stock. Mix well and set aside.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon sunflower oil. Add 1/2 onion, roughly chopped, the seasoned king prawns, 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced, 1 small handful tinned bamboo shoots, rinsed, drained and sliced, 1 small handful tinned water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and sliced and 1 handful raw cashew nuts. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the prawns are just changing colour. Add 1 generous teaspoon chopped garlic in oil and stir fry for another 30-40 seconds. Add the prepared sauce, mix well and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly. Add 1 teaspoon potato starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water, stirring well (all of the mix may not be needed). Add 1 tablespoon rice wine and Dash sesame oil and mix well once more.
- Transfer king prawn with cashew nuts to a serving plate and serve with egg fried rice and prawn crackers.
Chinese Restaurant Style King Prawn With Cashews Recipe FAQ
What is MSG and why should I use it?
MSG is monosodium glutamate, a seasoning ingredient widely used in Chinese takeaway kitchens, in pure form or as an ingredient in soy sauces and other seasoning sauces. It’s definitely an ingredient you should add to your Chinese takeaway style cooking. Despite historic baseless claims of its dangers, it has been widely proven to be safe for use in cooking. In fact, many of the myths and lies about MSG were deliberately and maliciously spread as a form of racism. You can find MSG naturally in many foodstuffs including broccoli, cheese and tomatoes. It’s available online or in Chinese supermarkets. You can learn more about MSG from the brilliant Chin Taylor of Ziang’s Kitchen here.
Do I need a carbon steel wok to cook King Prawn with Cashew Nuts?
You can cook this king prawn & cashews dish in any large wok or frying pan. But, investing in a carbon steel wok is a great way to improve your Chinese takeaway style cooking. With the wok properly seasoned, ingredients can be cooked quickly over high heat, adding delicious flavour to stir fry dishes.
Do you like this Chinese takeaway style king prawn with cashew nuts recipe? If so, buying a copy of my book might appeal to you! In The Chinese Takeaway Secret you can find a host of restaurant and takeaway style recipes that you can make at home. You’ll learn how to make Chinese takeaway style hot and sour soup, beef satay, sweet and sour chicken, salt & chilli chips and more! You can buy The Chinese Takeaway Secret in paperback or kindle form here.
- McGovern, Kenny (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 06/09/2022 (Publication Date) – Robinson (Publisher)