I want to share my recipe on how to prepare steamed garlic prawns in this recipe.

This traditional and luxurious Chinese delicacy is often served during festive occasions such as Chinese New Year. The good news is that it is a simple dish to prepare, as the steps are simple.

Steaming the prawns is the best way to bring out their natural flavor. Therefore, the most crucial aspect is using the freshest prawns available. Using medium to large prawns is also recommended for the best results.

The glass noodles that are steamed alongside the prawns will absorb all the delicious flavors of the prawns, making them exceptionally tasty.

If you usually cook prawns by baking or grilling, try steaming them instead for a new experience.

This steamed prawn dish is a popular Chinese New Year reunion dinner dish. Prawn is pronounced as ‘ha’ in Cantonese, the same pronunciation as laughter. Therefore, prawns are considered auspicious dishes, and they are commonly served during the new year. 

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1. Steam with the prawn head and shell

It is common to steam prawns with their shell and heads in Chinese cooking becasue they are both packed with flavor. The prawn head releases its flavor into the sauce during the steaming process. 

It is a common practice to include glass doodles (vermicelli noodles/Fen Si/粉丝) in the recipe. The glass noodles will then absorb the natural sweetness of the prawns, making them exceptionally flavorful. Therefore, retaining at least part of the heat and shell is recommended.

I use about ten garlic cloves in this prawn recipe. The garlic is prepared in two different ways. Part of the garlic is chopped and then placed on top of the prawns during steaming. The remaining garlic is then deep-fried in oil until golden brown. Fried garlic is extremely flavourful and aromatic and is best sprinkled on top of the prawns right before serving.

2. Clean and prepare the prawns for steaming

The prawns used in this recipe should be at least medium size.

1. After cleaning the prawns, trim the legs and cut off any sharp parts. I would retain most parts of the head and the eyes to make them more presentable. Furthermore, the head has a lot of flavor, which will be released during steaming to flavor the glass noodles.
2. Next is to remove the digestive tract, also called the vein. To do that, I use scissors to cut open the back of the prawn shell and cut into the prawn meat, starting from the part near the head to the tail. The digestive tract will be exposed by then. Pull out the digestive tract with your hand or with a toothpick.
3. After that, wash the prawns thoroughly with water and let them dry in a colander.

3. How to prepare the garlic sauce

The garlic sauce in this recipe is not spicy. If you prefer a spicy garlic sauce, please refer to my steamed eggplant recipe for details on how to make a Sichuan-style spicy garlic sauce.

The main reason I do not make it spicy is that I prefer to highlight and let the flavor of prawns shine.

1. You only need to heat some oil in a pan, add the chopped garlic, and fry until it becomes aromatic.
2. Next, add oyster sauce, sugar, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and water.
3. Let it return to a boil and set aside. This will be the sauce to steam the prawns. It is so simple.

4. Rehydrate the glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)

Another important ingredient is glass noodles. You should be able to get it from most of the Asian grocery stores.

1. You need to rehydrate the glass noodles before steaming. First, place the glass noodles in a container and then fill it with water until enough to submerge them.
2. Let it soak for 15 minutes or until the glass noodles turn soft and rehydrate. (Use warm water if you want to speed up the process.)
3. Then, drain the glass noodles by putting them in a colander. After that, transfer the glass noodles to the steaming plate.

5. Prepare the fried garlic

Here are the steps on how to prepare. The fried garlic.

1. Chop the garlic, and try to chop them to equal size. I do not use minced garlic or garlic paste as they do not brown evenly.
2. Hit some vegetable oil in a pan at low to medium heat. Place the chopped garlic in the oil and fry it until golden brown. The trick to making the perfect golden brown crispy fried garlic is to stir it continuously and keep it at low to medium heat. 
3. Once the color has changed to light brown, turn the heat low as the color will turn quickly over higher heat. 
4. Once it reaches the desired color, remove the fried garlic from the oil by pouring it through a strainer to catch all the crispy garlic. If you leave the crispy garlic inside the oil, the garlic will continue to be cooked by the residual heat and turn dark brown. 
5. Transfer the garlic on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. When cool, keep it in an airtight container.

The fried garlic is also used in many other recipes, which include garlic fried rice and Chinese fried garlic shrimp on this food blog.

6. How to steam the prawns

1. Arrange the prawns on the bed of glass noodles side by side or in a circular pattern, depending on the shape of the plate.
2. Drizzle the garlic sauce into the opening of the back of the prawns. Pour the remaining garlic sauce onto the area outside the prawns if there is excess. I prepare a little extra sauce so that I have sufficient sauce to drizzle onto the glass noodles at the bottom.
3. Fill the steamer with water and wait until it starts boiling. If you do not have a steamer, use a large wok with a trivet and a wok lid to steam the prawns.
4. Place the plate of prawns in the steamer, cover it, and steam over high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not steam for too long, as the meat of overcooked prawns will become tough.

7. Garnish and serve the steamed garlic prawns

After the prawns are cooked, remove them from the steamer. Sprinkle the fried garlic on the steamed prawns, and use chopped spring onions and chili to garnish.

Steamed garlic prawns are best served with plain rice or can be eaten alone.

Yield: 16 prawns

Steamed garlic prawns 蒜蓉蒸虾

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A delicious steamed prawn recipe that is easy to make. Combining garlic and soy sauce will elevate the prawn flavor to the next level.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients A

• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1/3 cup of water

Ingredients B

• 80g glass noodles
• 500g medium size prawns (weigh before wash)
• Fried garlic and chopped green onions as topping

Instructions

Clean and prepare the prawns for steaming

1. After cleaning the prawns, trim the legs and cut off any sharp parts. Retain most parts of the head and the eyes to make them more presentable.
2. Use scissors to open the back of the prawn shell and cut into the meat, from the part near the head to the tail. Pull out the digestive tract with your hand or with a toothpick.
3. Wash the prawns thoroughly with water and let them dry in a colander.

How to prepare the garlic sauce

1. Heat some oil in a pan, add the chopped garlic, and fry until it becomes aromatic.
2. Next, add oyster sauce, sugar, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and water.
3. Let it return to a boil and set aside. 

Rehydrate the glass noodles

1. Place the glass noodles in a container and then fill it with water until enough to submerge them. 
2. Let it soak for 15 minutes or until the glass noodles turn soft and rehydrate. 
3. Then, drain the glass noodles by putting them in a colander. 
4. Transfer the glass noodles to the steaming plate.

Prepare the fried garlic

1. Place the chopped garlic in the oil and fry it until golden brown. 
2. Once it reaches a light golden color, remove the fried garlic from the oil by pouring it through a strainer to catch all the crispy garlic. 
3. Transfer the garlic on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. 

Steam the prawns

1. Arrange the prawns on the bed of glass noodles on the plate.
2. Drizzle the garlic sauce into the opening of the back of the prawns. Pour the remaining garlic sauce onto the area outside the prawns if there is excess.
3. Steam over high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes. 
4. Sprinkle the fried garlic on the steamed prawns, and use chopped spring onions and chili to garnish.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Pure Mung Bean Vermicelli
• 
  Kitchen Shears, iBayam 2-Pack Kitchen Scissors Heavy Duty Meat Scissors, Dishwasher Safe Cooking Scissors, Multipurpose Stainless Steel Sharp Utility Food Scissors for Chicken, Poultry, Fish, Herbs
• 
  Oster Steamer Stainless Steel Cookware, 3.0-Quart

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 65Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 397mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 8g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 2/5/2024