When I was a child, I was very insecure. I hated the fact that I was Chinese and had a flat nose. We’d just studied Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at school and inspired by this book, I put a peg on my nose every night to make it straighter like my fellow school friends. However, every morning it was flat as a button. As I grew up, I realised that my dual culture is actually an asset and not something to be hidden. We worked in the family takeaway and could cook the entire menu aged 11. This dish takes me back to my childhood days and Friday nights, which were a busy rush of customers for the tea time slot and dinner slot. My dad used to make this dish for us and it’s my version of comfort food. When I see tomatoes at the supermarket this dish always comes to my mind! I particularly love the egg swirls in the tomato sauce and I prefer my dish with lots of yummy sauce to go with the rice!
Serves 2
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
14 medium king prawns, peeled and de-veined
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
150ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon potato starch mixture
1 egg, beaten
Heat the wok so it is dry and hot and smoky. Then add the vegetable oil and swirl round the wok. Add the garlic and then the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the raw king prawns and cook for 5 minutes flipping on each side to make sure they are cooked.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. I like to cook the tomatoes in the wok so they have a little smoky flavour to them. Add the chicken stock and stir into the dish. This will stop the dish from burning and the prawns from overcooking. Spoon in the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the salt and sugar. Taste and adjust if you feel it is lacking in seasoning.
When the mixture is bubbling thicken with the potato starch mixture. Only put about 2 teaspoons of the potato starch mixture in and it will thicken immediately.
Remove from the heat off and swirl in 3 tablespoons of beaten egg into the bubbling mixture. The egg will cook and create beautiful swirls contrasting beautifully with the red tomatoes. Serve with steamed rice.
To book a table at Sweet Mandarin email sweetmandarintables@gmail.com . Our opening times are Tuesday – Sunday 5-10pm.
Sweet Mandarin is a Chinese Restaurant in Manchester which serves delicious Chinese cuisine and exotic cocktails. We make our own sweet chilli sauce, bbq sauce, sweet & sour sauce which you can buy from Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Ocado, Booths, Wing Yip and Chi Yip. Sweet Mandarin Chinese Restaurant and Cookery Schoolcan cater for the gluten free, dairy free diners. We are a short 15 minute walk from the Manchester Arena. We are not based in Chinatown, but based in the trendy Northern Quarter near the Arndale Centre, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Debenhams and Primark. The nearest hotels to us are the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Premier Apartments, Blue Rainbow Aparthotels, Light Hotel and Hatters Hostel.