Creamy Buttery Cereal Prawns
Cereal Prawns is a Malaysian and Singaporean favourite dish; it’s crispy, crunchy and buttery on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside. Similar to salted egg prawns and butter prawns, this deep-fried prawns dish is fully coated with buttery, flaky cereal ala Nestum (not cornflakes).
Even the crispy cereal bits are creamy and add to the richness of the dish. It’s sweet and salty, going so well with fluffy white rice.
Serves 6 adults.
What are Cereal Prawns?
It’s a deep-fried prawn dish that is coated in a fragrant, milky, sweet and salty buttery sauce filled with cereal bits. Usually served without shells, it features a crunchy texture with a firm interior.
However, for this dish, I prefer the prawns to remain tender and juicy – thus, the shells are kept intact. Additionally, evaporated milk powder is used to keep the cereal mixture dry. However, I prefer the cereal mixture to be slightly moist, crunchy, and creamy, so I used evaporated creamer instead.
Adding a little bit of chilli and curry leaves also gives fragrance and spiciness to the prawns. Just the little kick to elevate the taste buds.
Ingredients
- Tiger prawns
- Salt, to taste
- Sugar
- Cooking oil, unscented
- Bird’s eye chilli
- Water
- Crispy flour, or tempura flour
- Garlic
- Unsalted butter
- Curry leaves
- Evaporated Creamer
- Instant Cereal/ Nestum
Utensils
Tips
- Use a toothpick to devein the prawns.
- I left the shells on the cereal prawn to retain most of the juiciness. Most restaurants would de-shell the prawns for a crunchy exterior and soft interior.
- I used evaporated creamer for extra creaminess.
- The texture of the cereal is slightly moist, so we add another 40g of it to make it drier and crunchy.
- Ensure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!
Storage Instructions
As with all deep-fried foods, I recommend consuming them immediately after cooking. It’s not recommended to keep leftovers as they tend to become tough and rubbery over time.
If it must be kept, it can be in the fridge for not more than a day, in an air-tight container. Ensure to reheat thoroughly before consuming.
Similar Recipes
- Easy Sweet & Sour Tiger Prawns
- Smooth, Silky Steamed Eggs
- Braised Scallops with Broccoli and Shiitake Mushrooms
- Sweet Sour Spicy Fried Fish
Creamy Buttery Cereal Prawns
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears
- Wok
- Strainer
- Wooden Cooking Chopsticks
- Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Turner
- Food Tongs
Ingredients
- 550 g prawns, fresh, large tiger prawns
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 400 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 1 egg
- 50 g crispy flour, tempura flour
Cereal Coating
- 15 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 25 g garlic, minced
- 3 birds eye chillies, cut to pieces
- 5 curry leaves
- 60 g butter, unsalted, cut to cubes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp evaporated creamer
- 85 g instant cereal
Instructions
- Devein the tiger prawns. Remove the whiskers, swimmers, legs and pointed tips of the tail and head. Rinse them clean.
- Marinate the prawns with 1/2 tbsp of salt in two parts and rub to ensure they are spread evenly.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
- Transfer the prawns into a mixing bowl. Crack an egg over them, rubbing to coat them evenly with the egg.
- Sprinkle the crispy flour in 3 parts, mixing them and coating them evenly in between each part so the egg is soaked up.
- Test the cooking oil by dipping wooden cooking chopsticks. If bubbles form at the tips, the oil is ready for deep frying.
- Fry the prawns for about 2.5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Remove with a strainer and set aside on a cooling rack to drip off excess oil. Repeat for the rest of the prawns.
- In a non-stick pan, add 15 ml of cooking oil over medium heat. Stir fry the garlic for 45 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the chilli and strip the curry leaves from the stems. Fry until well-combined and fragrant.
- Add the butter and stir until it is fully melted.
- Add sugar and evaporated creamer. Mix until they are all well combined.
- Pour in 45g, or half, of the instant cereal into the mixture, and stir until just combined.
- Toss in the prawns to coat them with the cereal mixture. Once well-combined, add the rest of the instant cereal. Continue stir-frying for another 20 seconds. Switch off the heat.
- Plate and serve the prawns immediately.
Video
Notes
- Use a toothpick to devein the prawns.
- I left the shells on the cereal prawn to retain most of the juiciness. Most restaurants would de-shell the prawns for a crunchy exterior and soft interior.
- I used evaporated creamer for extra creaminess.Â
- The texture of the cereal is slightly moist, so we add another 40g of it to make it drier and crunchy.
- Ensure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!