Something for the summer: Prawn lettuce wraps
With the hot weather only kicking in a few days ago, we've had our recipes for summer dishes on ice for most of June and July. But now that we've finally had a decent spell of sunshine, we thought we'd treat you to one of Jez's favourite recipes - prawn and asparagus lettuce wraps: tasty, fresh and really quick to make.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
1 iceberg lettuce The filling: 300g prawns 1 bunch asparagus 2 spring onions 2 cloves garlic 3 tbsp pine nuts 1 tbsp light soy sauce A dash of sesame oil The sauce: 6 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp water
Method
With the hot weather only kicking in a few days ago, we've had our recipes for summer dishes on ice for most of June and July. But now that we've finally had a decent spell of sunshine, we thought we'd treat you to one of Jez's favourite recipes - prawn and asparagus lettuce wraps: tasty, fresh and really quick to make.
However, if you want to enjoy these properly (with a cold glass of beer in the hot weather), you may want to be quick, this might be the only sun we see all year. Before you know it, we'll be packing away our shorts, covering up our pasty legs and retreating back from our gardens to cook up a hot beef stew before the snow sets in.
Anyway...that's enough optimism for today; here's Jez's recipe:
Start by cutting a third off the lettuce at the bottom to remove the stalk, being careful not to tear any leaves. Place in a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over the leaves for no longer than 3 seconds, then immediately place the lettuce in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. Separate the leaves, drain then place in the fridge.
Meanwhile, for the filling, finely dice the prawns and season. Bend each asparagus until it snaps, then chop into similar-sized pieces as the prawns. Finely chop the spring onions and garlic. Mix the hoisin with the water in a separate dish and set aside.
Now for the cooking - heat 2 tablespoons of oil to a high heat in a wok and, once smoking hot, throw in the asparagus, then turn down to a medium heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, before turning the heat back up to high then add the prawns and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Throw in the pine nuts and cook for another minute before seasoning to taste with soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Once the prawns are pink and slightly golden brown, add the spring onion, toss, then remove from the heat.
Place a dollop of the prawn mix in the middle of each lettuce leaf, drizzle with the hoisin sauce and roll up.
INGREDIENTS
1 iceberg lettuce The filling: 300g prawns 1 bunch asparagus 2 spring onions 2 cloves garlic 3 tbsp pine nuts 1 tbsp light soy sauce A dash of sesame oil The sauce: 6 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp water
With the hot weather only kicking in a few days ago, we've had our recipes for summer dishes on ice for most of June and July. But now that we've finally had a decent spell of sunshine, we thought we'd treat you to one of Jez's favourite recipes - prawn and asparagus lettuce wraps: tasty, fresh and really quick to make.
However, if you want to enjoy these properly (with a cold glass of beer in the hot weather), you may want to be quick, this might be the only sun we see all year. Before you know it, we'll be packing away our shorts, covering up our pasty legs and retreating back from our gardens to cook up a hot beef stew before the snow sets in.
Anyway...that's enough optimism for today; here's Jez's recipe:
Start by cutting a third off the lettuce at the bottom to remove the stalk, being careful not to tear any leaves. Place in a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over the leaves for no longer than 3 seconds, then immediately place the lettuce in a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. Separate the leaves, drain then place in the fridge.
Meanwhile, for the filling, finely dice the prawns and season. Bend each asparagus until it snaps, then chop into similar-sized pieces as the prawns. Finely chop the spring onions and garlic. Mix the hoisin with the water in a separate dish and set aside.
Now for the cooking - heat 2 tablespoons of oil to a high heat in a wok and, once smoking hot, throw in the asparagus, then turn down to a medium heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, before turning the heat back up to high then add the prawns and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Throw in the pine nuts and cook for another minute before seasoning to taste with soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Once the prawns are pink and slightly golden brown, add the spring onion, toss, then remove from the heat.
Place a dollop of the prawn mix in the middle of each lettuce leaf, drizzle with the hoisin sauce and roll up.