Prawn And Sweetcorn Pancakes Food

CORN AND SHRIMP 'PANCAKES' TOPPED WITH HUITLACOCHE BUTTER AND MING'S MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat a large skillet or comal or griddle on medium-high heat and coat with lard or grapeseed oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the masa harina, eggs and milk. Fold in the whites, butter, and scallions. Fold in the kernels and shrimp. Ladle about 4 ounces of batter into the hot oil. Brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Plating: On a large plate, spread some mole. Top with pancakes, garnish with a dollop of huitlacoche butter.
• Mix all together in a bowl and keep in the refrigerator.
• In a dry saucepan, toast the almonds, sesame seeds, 5-spice, cinnamon, and tea until slightly smoking. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Add the chiles and 1/2 of the soaking liquid. Add the mango and Shoaxing wine. Add stock and simmer 5 to10 minutes until slightly reduced, and all alcohol is burned off. Add chocolate and heat several more minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend at high speed. Check for seasoning.

PRAWN AND SWEETCORN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Finely chop prawns and place in a bowl. Add spring onions, chilli and coriander; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sift flours into a separate bowl. Add 150ml cold water and eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in prawn mixture and corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of thick cream.
• Grease a non-stick frying pan with oil and preheat over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes. Ladle spoonfuls of batter into pan - enough to form a pancake about 7.5cm in diameter. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until underside is golden. Using a spatula, flip pancake and cook for a further minute or so before turning out. Repeat with remaining batter. You may need to adjust the heat as you cook the batter - reduce it after the first few batches. Keep pancakes warm in the oven on a low heat, covered with a cloth until all batter is cooked.
• Serve warm with sour cream, smoked salmon and a lime wedge.

SWEET & SOUR PRAWNS

Steps:

• Tip the prawns in a bowl and mix with the soy, then set aside for a few minutes. Stir in the cornflour.
• Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat to a depth of 3-4cm. When it's shimmering or a cooking thermometer reads 170C, fry the prawns in batches for about 2 mins until crisp and golden, turning them with a slotted spoon halfway through. Carefully lift onto a plate using the slotted spoon. Turn off the heat. Leave the pan for a few minutes to cool down.
• Carefully pour all but 1 tbsp oil from the wok - keep the remainder for use in another recipe or discard.
• Put the wok back on a high heat. When the oil is shimmering, carefully add the onion and peppers, and stir-fry for 1 min. Add the garlic and ginger, and continue to cook for 30 seconds, then scatter over the sugar and pour in the vinegar. Turn up the heat and boil for 2 mins. Stir in the soy and ketchup to make a thick, glossy sauce. When you're ready to serve, tip the prawns back into the pan and stir to coat in the sauce. Scatter over the chopped coriander and serve with cooked rice on the side.

KOREAN-STYLE PRAWN & SPRING ONION PANCAKE

Steps:

• Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Beat together 100ml water, the egg and garlic. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the water mixture, beating all the time to make a smooth batter.
• Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan and cook the spring onions for 1 min until beginning to soften. Scatter over the prawns, then pour on the batter to cover. Cook on a medium heat for 3-4 mins or until the bottom is fully set and turning golden, and the top is beginning to set. Flip over and cook the other side for 3-4 mins more until cooked through. Slice into wedges and serve with the dipping sauce.

MINI PRAWN & SWEETCORN CAKES

Steps:

• Put half the prawns, half the sweetcorn, half the cumin seeds, all the flour, 100ml water and some seasoning into a food processor. Whizz until smooth, then tip into a bowl.
• Roughly chop the remaining prawns and add to the mixture with the remaining sweetcorn and cumin seeds, the coriander and spring onions. Mix well.
• In a large pan or wok, heat enough oil to come 1-2cm up the side of the pan. Spoon walnut-sized blobs of the mixture into the hot oil. Squash down a little with a spoon and cook for 1-2 mins each side until golden brown and crisp (you will have to do this in batches). Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

MARY'S PRAWN & CORN ROSTI

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20-25 minutes until just tender. Leave to cool, then peel off the skins. Grate into a large bowl using the coarse side of the grater.
• Chop the spring onions fairly finely and strip the corn from the cobs if using fresh (see tip below). Boil the fresh or frozen corn for 3 minutes, then drain well and add to the potatoes with the spring onions, prawns, parsley and plenty of salt and pepper, mixing well. Shape the mixture between your hands into eight cakes. Dust lightly with flour. You can chill the cakes for several hours, on a plate covered with cling film, until you are ready to cook them.
• Heat a generous knob of butter and a drizzle of oil in a pan, add four potato cakes and fry for 3 minutes, flip over and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden. Remove and keep them warm while you cook the rest of the cakes. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and serve with wedges of lemon on the side for squeezing over, if liked.

PRAWN & SWEETCORN FRITTERS

Steps:

• Tip the flour, baking powder and ½ tsp salt into a bowl or jug. Whisk in the eggs and milk to form a thick smooth batter. Stir the curry paste into the batter and mix until combined. Tip the sweetcorn, spring onions, coriander and prawns into another larger bowl.
• Pour the batter onto the sweetcorn, mix and fold through to combine. Heat a few tbsp of oil in a large, non-stick pan until hot. Fry large spoonfuls of the batter at a time (do this is batches), for about 2 mins each side, or until golden and cooked through. You will make about 8-10. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

SWEET & HOT PRAWN & PINEAPPLE CURRY

Steps:

• In a heavy-based pan, heat the oil and add the curry paste. Fry for 2 mins, add the sugar and turmeric, then stir well. Splash in the fish sauce, then the coconut milk and pineapple. Bring to the boil. Add the lime leaves or juice, chilli and lemongrass. Simmer for 3 mins, throw in the prawns and simmer for 5 mins more until the prawns change colour.

SWEETCORN PANCAKES

Steps:

• First turn the grill on high. If using fresh corn, remove the husk and slice the kernels from the cob with a large sharp knife, then cook them in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool while you whisk the eggs, milk and butter together. Whisk in the flour and a large pinch of salt until smooth, then mix in the corn (fresh or canned) and the spring onions.
• Put the tomatoes cut-side up on a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the bacon next to the tomatoes in a single file on the tray. Grill for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the bacon is crispy, turning the rashers over at half time.
• While the bacon's crisping up, heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan. Add 4 large spoonfuls of the batter and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until the pancakes are puffed up and golden. Lift out on to a plate lined with kitchen paper and cook the remaining 4 pancakes. Bring to the table with a bottle of chilli sauce.