Recipe...
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 large green (raw) king prawns, peeled & deveined, leave heads & tails intact
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half lengthways
3 long red chillies, sliced
25 grams fresh green peppercorns or use 2-3 stems of Thai green peppercorns (in brine, drained)**
25 grams krachai, peeled & finely sliced**
1.5 tsp caster sugar
1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
1.5 tsp fish sauce
1 cup Thai basil leaves
0.5 cup coriander leaves
60 ml water
For stir-fry paste:
25 grams krachai, peeled & chopped**
Finely grated rind of 1 lime
6 Birdseye chillies, chopped
3 coriander roots, washed, dried, scraped & roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1 Tbsp fresh green peppercorns or use Thai green peppercorns in brine, drained and stripped from the stem**
METHOD:
For stir-fry paste, pound ingredients with a mortar and pestle into a fine paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can use a small food processor to blend into a paste, but a mortar and pestle gives better results.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. Add stir-fry paste and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add prawns, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, krachai and sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then add oyster sauce, fish sauce and 60 ml water and stir fry until prawns are just cooked (about 2-3 minutes).
Add 2/3 of the Thai basil and coriander leaves (reserve the rest for garnish) and mix in gently. Serve on a platter or low wide bowl, garnish with remaining Thai basil and coriander.
NOTES:
Fresh green peppercorns available at Thai grocery stores, or substitute with Thai green peppercorns in brine (sold in glass jars) also at Thai grocers.
Fresh krachai is available at Thai grocers, or substitute with krachai in brine (sliced/shredded into strips in glass jars) also at Thai grocers - drain from brine before use.