Lunch In Singapore: Drunken Prawns, A Video
As I promised yesterday, today's lunch involved sucking the heads out of shrimp. Prawns, actually. These were no ordinary prawns, though. They were alive about three minutes before I ate them. And they got wasted beforehand. "That's how I want to go out, drunk and on fire," said I.
I snuck into...well I didn't sneak into the kitchen, I was invited by Steven Ng, chef at the Shangri-La Singapore's Shang Palace, to see how he makes his signature drunken prawns. Ahem! Fill a Pyrex bowl with two pounds of live prawns so feisty you have to cover the bowl so they don't flick themselves onto the table. Pour in a couple of cups of high-proof Chinese rice wine or bai jiu (aka The Imbiber's favorite thing ever), quickly replace the lid and shake well to ensure your little pals get plastered. Wait several minutes, during which I recommend you knock back a few shots of bai jiu and try your best not to cry. Maybe the person pouring your shots will teach you a loud Chinese drinking song and order the sous chefs to to join in. Yan yi ji a bo yi suooooo!
When the prawns...um...stop flipping around (see: passing out), dispense a few more shots into a flameproof container, ignite, pour into the bowl and toss constantly for several minutes until pink and cooked through, then serve piping hot.
The best part is that not all the alcohol cooks off, so you'll actually get a solid buzz from eating enough of these boozy crustaceans. Bai jiu-infused shrimp brains are about as good a bite as I've had so far. Observe:
More lunch in Singapore on Food Republic: