How to make spicy Sichuan prawns with sizzling rice, delicious and as messy as you like
- Sizzling dishes are always popular in restaurants and this home-made prawn version with deep-fried rice cakes is just as exciting
- Sichuan peppercorns and spicy bean sauce give the dish a numbing and spicy kick
I know food lovers in Hong Kong who turn up their noses at sizzling rice dishes, saying they are for tourists.
There is something rather showy about them: in restaurants, it is tableside service, with the waiter presenting two platters – one with the rice cakes, the other with meat or seafood in a runny sauce. The saucy food is poured over the rice cakes to create steam and a loud sizzle that makes other diners look over to see what’s going on.
But the fact it is showy doesn’t mean it can’t be good. The rice cakes used for this dish shouldn’t be mistaken for the chewy ones made of pounded rice that are similar in texture to mochi. Sizzling rice cakes are light and crisp, and you can see each individual grain.
Spicy prawns with sizzling rice
Sizzling rice cakes are not difficult to make, but they take time. Start with cooked rice, which you then spread out into a thinnish layer on a lightly oiled baking tray.
Bake in a low oven (about 160 degrees Celsius/320 degrees Fahrenheit) until completely dry, then cool. Break (or cut) the dried rice into pieces, then deep-fry. Or you can do what I did for this recipe: buy them. Search for them online, or look in the Chinese section of supermarkets.
Advice on the sizzle: there won’t be much of one if you use rice cakes straight from the packet, or if the home-made ones are at room temperature.
If you heat them in the oven you will get a bit of a sizzle, and for a better sizzle deep-fry them, then pour the sauce over them while everything is hot.
