Har Lok

Har Lok — wok-fried whole prawns in a sticky, fragrant sauce of ginger, garlic, and soy — is a festive Cantonese banquet staple celebrated for its technique of frying the unpeeled prawns directly in the wok until the shells blister and crisp, locking in the juices before being tossed in the sauce. The shells are eaten along with the flesh, an experience Cantonese diners describe as sucking the flavour from the shell.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600g (1¼ lb) whole tiger prawns, shell and head on, rinsed and patted dry
• 3 tbsp (45ml) vegetable oil
• 5cm (2 in) piece ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 spring onions, cut into 4cm segments
• 2 fresh red chillies, sliced (optional)

Sauce

• 2 tbsp (30ml) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 60ml (¼ cup) water

Instructions

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Heat a wok over the highest possible heat until smoking. Add oil.
3. Add prawns in a single layer. Do not move them for 1 minute until the shells blister and char slightly on one side. Flip and cook for another 1 minute.
4. Push prawns to the side. Add ginger and garlic to the centre of the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. Add chillies and spring onions, toss everything together.
6. Pour in the sauce and toss vigorously for 1–2 minutes over high heat until the sauce reduces to a glaze that clings to the shells.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and eat immediately.

Cook's Notes: The key is extreme heat — a domestic burner can work if you cook in one batch and use a carbon-steel wok. Keep the lid off the wok at all times so the prawns fry rather than steam. Provide napkins and finger bowls; this is a hands-on dish.