Crispy Prawns with Strange-Flavor Sauce

This is an invariably popular dish at China Moon, whether we present it as an appetizer or an entrée. The combination of lightly fried seafood with the tart-tangy-sweet sauce is seemingly irresistible. Twenty years after I learned to make this sauce in the eccentric kitchen of my Chinese adopted family in Taipei, its flavors continue to beguile me.

The preparations are exceedingly simple, and the cooking is speedy and neat. Organization is everything when deep-frying, so be sure to