You Bao Xia

I enjoyed this austere but elegant dish at Shanghai’s Lao Fandian restaurant. It is usually made with unpeeled freshwater prawns that almost literally “explode” when they come into contact with the very hot oil in the wok. Quick cooking and light seasonings preserve and enhance the natural flavours of the prawns. Native freshwater prawns may be difficult to find, as they are not widely available commercially and the giant Asian varieties are only rarely imported. Fortunately, saltwater v