Broad Bean and Prawn Stir Fry is a very easy side dish with pretty colours. It is best served in spring when broad beans are in season. The combination of the fluffy texture of broad beans and plump prawns is superb.
Prep Time does not include the time to remove beans from pods and peel the soft skins. It took me about 15 minutes to remove beans from pods and peel the soft skins to get 120g/4.2oz of peeled broad beans.
Although the Ingredients list indicates the broad beans are already peeled, I included how to peel broad beans in the Instructions and the video.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 120g/4.2oz broad beans (pods and soft skin removed, note 1)
- 120g/4.2o uncooked school prawns (peeled and deveined, note 2)
- 10g/0.4oz ginger diced into thin 5mm/3⁄16" square pieces
- 2 tbsp oil separated
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp corn flour/cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- Salt and pepper
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Break the tip of the pod and pull tough strings that run on both sides of the pod towards the other end of the pod. You may only get a string from one side (note 3).
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Break open the pod from the side where the string came off, using the tip of your thumb. Then run your thumb through to open the pod.
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Take all the beans out of the pods. The beans still have soft skins on.
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Taking a bean at a time, break the end of the dented line (often the line is black) with your thumb and index finger, and peel it off along the line to break the outer pale green skin.
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From the edge of the broken skin, peel the pale skin off.
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Rinse the prawns and pat dry.
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Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
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Put broad beans into the pan and sauté for 1½ minutes. Add salt and water to the pan, and steam-sauté for 1 minute with a lid on (note 4).
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Remove the lid and transfer the beans to a plate (note 5).
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Wipe the frying pan while it has moisture on the bottom of the pan (note 6).
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Dust the prawns with corn flour/cornstarch thoroughly.
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Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over medium low heat.
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Put the prawns into the pan and sauté until the prawns change colour, turning over half-way (about 2 minutes in total).
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Add ginger and the broad beans to the pan and mix.
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Add cooking sake, a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan, and sauté for 15 seconds or so. Then remove the pan from the heat.
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Divide between two serving bowls and serve immediately, or later at room temperature.
1. My broad beans weighed just over 500g/1.1lb. After removing the pods, they weighed about 200g/7.1oz. After removing the skin, they weighed 118g/4.2oz.
Instead of fresh broad beans, you can use frozen broad beans. After thawing the beans, break the soft skin, which is very easy to tear anywhere, and remove it. Check if they are already blanched or not because the method of cooking changes a bit as per note 4.
2. School prawns are the best for today's dish. The body length of my school prawns was about 7cm/2¾".
You can use large prawns if you can't find school prawns. You need to cut them into 3-4 pieces depending on the size of your prawns.
You can also use defrosted frozen prawns.
3. Once you remove the tough strings, it becomes easier to break open the pod along where the string was.
If the string breaks, you can push the tip of your thumb to force open the pod.
4. If you are using frozen broad beans that are already blanched, you don’t need to steam-sauté the beans. Quickly sauté them and transfer the beans to a plate.
5. There shouldn't be much water left in the pan. If there is some water in the pan, leave it on the stove to let it evaporate before transferring the beans to a plate.
6. Because the pan is still hot, it does not take long or the bottom of the pan to dry up, which makes it difficult to clean due to the starch from the beans. If this happens, add a small amount of water to wipe it.
7. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 151g calories: 247kcal fat: 15g (24%) saturated fat: 1.1g (6%) trans fat: 0g polyunsaturated fat: 2.6g monounsaturated fat: 10g cholesterol: 76mg (25%) sodium: 794mg (33%) carbohydrates: 16g (5%) dietary fibre: 4.6g (18%) sugar: 5.5g protein: 12.8g vitamin a: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 56mg (3%) iron: 1mg (2%) potassium: 303mg (9%)