Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers In 10 Minutes!

Freshly fried Chinese takeaway style prawn crackers, made in just a few minutes. Perfect to pair with your favourite curry or stir fry dishes.

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When it comes to the Chinese takeaway experience, prawn crackers are perfect for scooping up rice and curry sauces. The light and crisp texture is a great contrast to soft rice and noodles. To make them at home, you can buy ready to fry prawn crackers that have a long shelf life. This means you’re ready to fry up a bagful whenever you choose! They’re very easy to prepare, and can be made ahead of time, ready to serve alongside your favourite Chinese takeaway style dishes.

Ingredients For Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers

While you can make prawn crackers completely from scratch, it’s much easier to do as your local Chinese takeaway does and purchase ready to fry prawn crackers. If you’re lucky enough to have a Chinese supermarket nearby, you’ll find them in large boxes there for a good price. Or, they can be purchased online. They come in plentiful amounts and are good value. The uncooked crackers can be stored at room temperature for a long time, ready to fry when needed.

How To Make Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers

Ready to fry prawn crackers take just a few seconds to fry in very hot oil. I prefer to use a small pot for this, as this means less oil is then needed to deep fry. Once the oil is hot (around 200C), the prawn crackers are carefully dropped into the oil, where they’ll puff up within just a few seconds. This is quite a fun process to watch, however the hot oil can splatter so do be careful.

As the prawn crackers fry, lift them out of the hot oil and set aside on kitchen paper to cool down. Once cooled completely, Chinese takeaway style prawn crackers are ready to serve. Or, you can keep them in a sealed bag or container for 1-2 days.

Step 1: Heat The Oil

Heat oil for deep frying to about 200C.

Step 2: Fry Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers

Using tongs and working quickly, drop 1-2 crackers at a time into the oil and immediately push down into the oil so that they are completely covered. The crackers will puff up and be fully cooked in just a few seconds. Remove from the oil with tongs or a slotted spoon, then drain off any excess oil and set aside on kitchen paper.

Step 3: Serve

Allow the crackers to cool completely before serving. If you want to keep them or make ahead, put the cooked prawn crackers in a sealed bag or container to ensure they stay crispy. They’ll keep well for a couple of days at room temperature.

I hope you’ll try these Chinese takeaway style prawn crackers. If you do, let me know in the comments how it went!

Recipe Tips For Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers

• Hot Oil: To cook properly, the crackers need to be fried in very hot oil. This makes them puff up quickly for a deliciously light texture, but means the oil isn’t very useful afterwards, so I usually aim to fill a smaller pot with just enough oil to deep fry the crackers.
• Make Ahead: The crackers can be made ahead of time, up to a few hours. Keep in a sealed container or food bag to remain fresh and crisp. The cooked crackers will be fine to eat for a couple of days, but may soften a little over time.

For a full list of recommended products and ingredients for Chinese takeaway style cooking, you can go here.

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Chinese Takeaway Style Prawn Crackers FAQ

Can I make prawn crackers from scratch?

Absolutely! If you’d like to take the time to make them entirely from scratch, it’s very possible to do. But, if you’re aiming to recreate the sort of prawn crackers you’ll find at most Chinese takeaways and restaurants, you should buy ‘ready to fry’ prawn crackers and cook them in very hot oil.

I’ve seen prawn crackers that look much darker in colour, what are they?

Thai or Vietnamese prawn crackers are a little thicker and have a darker colour than the white prawn crackers typically used in Chinese takeaways. I know of one Glasgow based Chinese takeaway chef who thought to introduce a variety to his prawn crackers by including both kinds, only to be met by confusion from customers who assumed that half of the crackers had been overcooked! Of course, this wasn’t the case, and they were able to enjoy all of their prawn crackers in full. So, if some of your prawn crackers appear darker in colour, it’s worth checking what kind of crackers they are before assuming they’re burnt!

Do you like this Chinese takeaway style prawn crackers 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 sesame prawn toast, chicken satay, black bean sauce, chow mein and more! You can buy The Chinese Takeaway Secret in paperback or kindle form here.

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