Tiger prawn noodle broth with prawn balls and deep-fried egg
A comforting bowl of Japanese broth, served with herbs, vegetables, noodles, deep-fried egg and prawn balls.
Ingredients
For the prawn balls
- 6 raw king prawns, heads and shells removed, finely chopped
- 1 prepared raw squid, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tsp Thai fish sauce
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
For the noodle broth
- 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
- 6 raw tiger prawns, shelled and deveined but heads and shells cleaned and reserved
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 star anise
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 2.5.cm/1in fresh root ginger, julienned
- 3 baby bok choi, roughly chopped
- 400g/14¼oz fresh egg noodles
For the garnish
- 2 sheets toasted nori sheets, cut into triangles
- 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
- 2.5.cm/1in black radish, thinly sliced
- 2 fresh mint sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 fresh coriander sprigs, leaves picked
- 3 spring onions, chopped
For the deep-fried egg
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 55g/2oz plain flour
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 free-range egg, hard-boiled and peeled
Method
For the prawn balls, place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to bring the mixture together. Divide the mixture into small balls, place on a plate and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
For the noodle broth, add the stock to a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the chilli, star anise, garlic, miso and ginger, to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and pink. Remove the prawn heads and shells and the star anise.
Meanwhile, to make the deep-fried egg, preheat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Place the flour, beaten eggs and sesame seeds in separate, shallow bowls. Dip the hard-boiled egg into the flour, eggs and seeds. Carefully lower the egg into the deep-fat fryer and cook until crisp. Set aside on kitchen paper to drain and then cut in half. Keep the deep-fat fryer on.
Remove the prawn balls from the fridge and carefully lower the balls into the deep-fat fryer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until crisp, then set aside on kitchen paper to drain.
Just before serving, add the bok choy to the broth and cook for 3 minutes.
To serve, divide the noodles between four deep bowls and pour over the broth. Garnish with the nori sheets, eggs, prawn balls and aromatics and serve straight away.