1/2 lb Peeled raw shrimp or prawns
2 Egg whites
3 c Oil for deep-frying
3 sl Day-old bread
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Cornstarch
1 c White sesame seeds
These tasty dainties are quick and easy to prepare.
They are a popu- lar snack and banquet dish that takes
several forms, depending on budget and occasion. The
lesser tea houses stretch the shrimp by adding 1/3
soft-flesh fish.
Preparation: Peel and devein raw shrimp. Chop, then
mash, shrimp to soft pulp. A cleaver or food
processor works well for this. Mix shrimp meat with
salt and cornstarch. Remove crust from bread; slice
each into 6 rectangles. We used heavy wheat bread,
which gives a chewy texture; light white bread would
be more crisp and absorb less oil. Separate eggs; beat
whites to stiff peaks. Fold egg whites completely
into shrimp mixture.
Deep-frying: Because shrimp mixture is a little
runny, wait until you are ready to deep-fry before
spreading mixture on bread. Put about 1 teaspoon of
mixture on each piece of bread. Set them on plate;
sprin- kle with raw white sesame seeds.
Heat oil slowly to medium hot. Test with crust of
bread; it should brown in 10 seconds. Deep-fry 6
pieces at a time, shrimp side down, until they brown;
then roll them over to brown the bread. Pieces are
buoyant balls, which may be uncooperative, so keep an
eye on them. Frying time is about 3 minutes. After
frying, remove to warm serving platter. Serve.
After deep-frying, they keep for about 30 minutes in
warm oven. However, they are best right out of
deep-fryer. We suggest you fry a second batch midway
through the buffet; to fry 18 takes about 7 minutes.
