Cooking a stir-fry is a skill well worth learning. This combination of prawns and pak choy can be on your dinner table in a flash.

Ingredients

• 3 pak choy
• 8-10 extra-large prawns, shells removed, tails on
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for stir-frying
• 2 thin ginger slices
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1½ tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water

Method

• Step 1- To prepare the pak choy, strip the leaves from the stalk and soak in cold water. When there is just the heart of the pak choy left, trim the stalk and leave the heart whole. Drain and cut the pak choy leaves into 4cm lengths.

• Step 2- Butterfly the prawns by splitting them down their back (but not all the way through). Soak in the baking soda and 1 cup of cold water for 10 minutes, then rinse well and pat dry.

• Step 3- Heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the prawns and cook for a further minute.

• Step 4- Add the pak choy leaves and heart and toss for a minute, then add the Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Toss for another minute until the pak choy softens and the prawns are cooked through, then drizzle in a little of the cornstarch mixture while tossing the wok to thicken any liquid in the wok. Transfer to a serving plate.

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