Chinese mom Virginia Yu is director of marketing communication at Westin Beijing Financial Street, and her Beijinger husband Stephen Huo is Sweetie Salad’s director of marketing; between them they know a thing or two about eating out and entertaining in. Who better to teach us a Beijing dish?
Yu attended high school and university in Perth, Australia, throwing more than a few shrimp on the barbie during her time there, before returning to Tianjin in 2006 to begin her career in hospitality. Their son Nicolas Huo was born over two years ago. Unfortunately for beijingkids, he was napping deeply when we visited and couldn’t be roused for a photograph.
Yu cooks often quite often now, but it wasn’t always the case. “I cut myself quite badly chopping food when I was pregnant. It made me afraid of the kitchen and especially knives for a while,” she says. Last year when Stephen became ill and requested home-made chicken noodle soup, Yu prepared it and afterwards began to cook for the family once more. “This is a simple dish which I would normally serve with another main dish, a vegetable, and plain rice,” Yu says. “It could also be served as an appetizer for a dinner party.”
Braised Prawns 油焖大虾
Approximately 2-4 servings 约2-4人份
Ingredients 成分
10 large prawns 10只大虾
1 tbsp shredded scallions 1汤匙葱丝
1 tbsp shredded ginger 1汤匙姜丝
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves 1汤匙香菜
1 tsp salt 1茶匙盐
1 tbsp sugar 1汤匙糖
3 tbsp ketchup 3汤匙番茄酱
20ml cooking oil 20毫升食用油
200ml water 200毫升水
Instructions 做法1. Remove the legs, brain pouch, and cut out the digestive tract of the prawns. 大虾剪去足和虾枪（注：虾枪在虾头的最前端，呈尖状），后背开口取出虾线。
2. Pour 20ml oil into a medium-hot pan; add the shredded ginger, shredded scallions, and the prawns. Braise until they turn an opaque pink color. 锅中倒入20ml食用油，五成热时放入姜丝，煸炒一下加入葱丝，再煸炒出香味后加入大虾，煎至一面变色，翻面再煎。
3. Add 200ml water. When it boils, lower the heat to a simmer. Five minutes later, add the salt, sugar, and ketchup. Turn the heat back to high, until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky. Garnish with coriander leaves. 待整只虾变色后加入约200ml清水，开锅后改为小火焖。 约5分钟后，加入盐、砂糖和番茄酱。（注：用量可根据个人喜好调整），开大火收汁，至汁粘稠即可。出锅摆盘，用香菜点缀完成。
This article originally appeared on page 32-33 of the beijingkids August 2015 issue. Click here to read the issue for free on Issuu.com. To find out how you can get your own copy, email distribution@truerun.com.
Photo: Sui
