Prawn Crackers: the recipe for the most famous appetizer of oriental cuisine

Prawn crackers are one of the most famous and loved appetizers in Chinese cuisine. Known also as shrimp chips, they are delicious and crunchy puff pastries made with blended prawns which are mixed with tapioca flour, water and glutamate to get small sausages. Then they're steamed, dried in the oven and finally fried in boiling peanut seeds oil. The preparation is rather laborious, but not too difficult, and you'll love the final result. Serve them as a snack or appetizer for a dinner with friends, success is guaranteed. So let’s see how to prepare the prawn crackers by following our recipe step by step. 

How to make Prawn Crackers

Rinse the shrimps under cold running water; drain them well, collect them in a kitchen mixer and blend them until smooth (1).

Add the tapioca flour (2) and season with a pinch of salt, pepper and glutamate.

Mix well until smooth and homogeneous (3).

Transfer the mixture to a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes, adding more tapioca flour if necessary. Divide the dough in half and make two very compact cylinders (4).

Transfer the cylinders to a steam cooking basket (5) and cook for about 40 minutes.

Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool. Wrap the cylinders in cling film (6) and let them rest in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

After the resting time will be elapsed, remove the transparent film and cut the cylinders into thin slices (7).

Arrange the slices obtained on the dripping pan, lined with a sheet of parchment paper, and bake at 60 degrees C for about 1 hour (8).

When the prawn crackers have dried, take them out of the oven and fry them in boiling peanut seeds oil until swollen and golden (9).

Drain the prawn crackers and let them dry on a sheet of absorbent kitchen paper. Bring them to the table and serve them hot (10).

How to store Shrimp Chips

To appreciate all their fragrance, we recommend to fry the shrimp chips and eat them still warm. However, you can store them in airtight containers, in a dry, cool and moisture-free environment.