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Hua dan xia ren (shrimp with silky scrambled egg)
Hua dan xia ren: Cantonese soft scrambled eggs with prawns
Hua dan xia ren comes from Guangdong and the Hong Kong cha chaan teng, where it is spooned over rice for a quick lunch or set in the middle of a family dinner: prawns folded into eggs that are barely set, glossy and soft as custard. The classic error is stirring the eggs like a breakfast scramble over a high flame, which gives you dry little curds. Because the eggs are only just set, cook them a little longer for anyone pregnant, very young, older or vulnerable. Chef's tip: a spoon of cornflour slurry and a little oil in the beaten eggs keeps them silky even if you overshoot by a few seconds.
- Total time
- 14 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 7 oz raw prawnspeeled and deveined
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 4 eggslarge
- 1 tsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp water
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 spring onionsthinly sliced
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pat 7 oz raw prawns dry and toss with a pinch of ⅛ tsp salt and 1 tsp cornflour.
2 minStep 2: Beat 4 eggs with the cornflour slurry 1 tsp cornflour, ½ tsp sesame oil, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and the rest of ⅓ tsp salt until smooth.
2 minStep 3: Heat half of 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat and fry the prawns until they turn pink and opaque all through. Stir them into the beaten eggs with half of 1 spring onions.
2 minStep 4: Wipe the wok, add the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil and set it over a medium-low heat. Pour in the egg mixture and leave it for 10 seconds until the edges just start to set.
1 minStep 5: With a spatula, push the set egg gently from the edge to the middle in long, slow folds. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs are still a little runny; the heat in the pan finishes them to soft, glossy folds.
2 minStep 6: Slide onto a plate, scatter with the rest of 1 spring onions and serve at once with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hua dan xia ren (shrimp with silky scrambled egg) take?
- About 14 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 6 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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