Chilli Prawn Bao with Shichimi Mayo
One of my favourite ways to host is by preparing a series of otsumami, or little appetisers when having people over. It’s more relaxed, and allows for more spontaneity than a dinner party would. I like serving things with drinks, and having courses come out in waves - I also find it reduces food waste, because I can typically gauge when people are in the mood for more, or if they are fully sated.
In Japan, you might serve otsumami or sakana (snacks with drinks) at an Izakaya (a drinking establishment). I describe it to friends as ‘Japanese tapas’, and it’s my dream to have my own Izakaya one day and serve different snacks with an array of nice beer, wine and sake. I recently joked about opening up a Japanese fusion eel and pie shop near where I live in East London, and if I was to win the lottery tomorrow I might just go for it.
We recently had some friends over, and I was in desperate need of clearing out some freezer space. I often keep frozen prawns and frozen bao buns in there, which inspired my latest recipe: chilli prawn bao with shichimi mayo.
I added panko breadcrumbs in to give a bit of texture, and if I had longer I would’ve pickled the cucumber, too. These were really quick to make - I had these ready in about twenty minutes, and prepared five in total.
I rely on my trusty Ninja (a magical contraption that is a pressure cooker, airfryer and steamer all in one) to steam my buns, but they are very easy to do in a pan of hot water also (just make sure you don’t submerge them)!
Ingredients
Bao buns (I froze mine in advance, but I really recommend using the School of Wok kit)
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Sesame seeds (optional)
For the Prawns
200g Frozen king prawns (preferably raw)
1 Teaspoon Sesame oil (I use this)
1 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine (I use this)
1 Tablespoon Chilli in oil (I use this)
1 Tablespoon Soy sauce (I use this)
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Plain flour
2 Tablespoons Panko breadcrumbs (I use this)
Salt & Pepper
For the Shichimi Mayo
Method
In a frying pan, I fry the minced garlic in sesame oil on a high heat. Once they have softened, I add the frozen prawns along with the chilli oil, salt and pepper and all of the liquid - the shaoxing wine and soy sauce. The liquid released by the frozen prawns creates a nice sauce in the pan, and as the grey prawns turn pink I lower the heat, allowing them to absorb some of the liquid and for it to dissipate.
While the liquid reduces, slice the cucumber finely, and prepare the mayo - combining the shichimi pepper with the mayonnaise until incorporated. At this stage, I would also prepare the steam the bao buns too - they only take around five minutes or so to steam and fluff up from frozen.
Once the liquid in the frying pan with the prawns has reduced slightly, add the plain flour and panko breadcrumbs, making sure all of the prawns are evenly coated. This adds a little bit of crunch and texture to the prawns. Once this is done, remove from the heat, and prepare the bao.
Carefully pulling apart the soft folds of the bao, smear a teaspoon of the shichimi mayo on the inner base, before topping with the spiced prawns, cucumber and some additional sesame seeds if desired.
I love creating little dishes when I’m hosting because it feels so much more intimate and social than if I was just preparing a full course. If you’re interested in finding about different styles of dining, I write more extensively about otsumami, sakana, and Japanese food etiquette in Omoiyari.
