How to make spicy Sichuan prawns with sizzling rice, delicious and as messy as you like

Bake in a low oven (about 160 degrees Celsius/320 degrees Fahrenheit) until completely dry, then cool. Break (or cut) the dried rice into pieces, then deep-fry. Or you can do what I did for this recipe: buy them. Search for them online, or look in the Chinese section of supermarkets.

Advice on the sizzle: there won’t be much of one if you use rice cakes straight from the packet, or if the home-made ones are at room temperature.

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If you heat them in the oven you will get a bit of a sizzle, and for a better sizzle deep-fry them, then pour the sauce over them while everything is hot.

But the secret to a big, dramatic sizzle doesn’t lie in the rice cakes: you get this from pouring the sauce onto a heated cast-iron plate.

Be warned, though – it’s messy because the sauce will splatter when it hits the metal. I am satisfied with a more modest sizzle and less to clean up.

Doubanjiang – spicy bean sauce – varies in spiciness and saltiness according to the brand. If the one you have is very salty, use the smaller amount of soy sauce.

12 to 16 fresh shrimp, with body size about 10cm (4 in) long

1⁄2 an onion, about 120 grams (4 oz), peeled

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

3-4 thin slices peeled ginger

100 grams (31⁄2 oz) snow peas or sugar peas

11⁄2 tsp red Sichuan peppercorns

30 grams (2 tbsp) spicy bean sauce (doubanjiang)

30 grams (2 tbsp) ketchup

10 grams (21⁄2 tsp) granulated sugar

5-10ml (2 tsp) light soy sauce

20ml (4 tsp) rice wine, divided

5ml (1 tsp) sesame oil

1⁄2 tsp finely ground white pepper

5 grams (2 tsp) cornflour

Cooking oil, as necessary

80-100 grams (3-31⁄2 oz) crispy rice cakes

2 spring onions

Several fresh coriander sprigs (optional)

1 Remove the heads and shells from the shrimp (save the heads and shells to make shrimp stock or shrimp oil for another dish). Make a shallow cut along the back of the shrimp, then remove and discard the vein.

2 Put the shrimp in a bowl, add 10ml of rice wine and mix well. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

3 Thinly slice the onion and garlic cloves. Finely julienne the ginger.

4 Trim off and discard the tips from the snow peas or sugar peas, then cut them on the diagonal into 1cm pieces. Cut the spring onions into 2.5cm lengths.

5 Put the Sichuan peppercorns in a small unoiled skillet. Place the skillet over a medium flame and toast the peppercorns until fragrant, stirring almost constantly.

6 Put the Sichuan peppercorns into a mortar – I use a Japanese suribachi (grinding bowl). When the peppercorns are cool, grind them to a rough powder, removing and discarding any seeds.

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7 Put the doubanjiang and ketchup in a bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and 10ml of rice wine. Mix in the Sichuan peppercorns and 100ml of warm water.

8 Put the cornflour in a small bowl and add 15ml of cool water.

9 Pour cooking oil to a depth of about 2cm in a pan and heat it over a medium flame to 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit). Turn off the heat and set aside, so it is ready to fry the rice cakes when the shrimp are ready.

10 Heat a wok over a high flame. Add 20ml of cooking oil and when the oil is hot, add the sugar peas or snow peas. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, then remove the vegetables from the wok, putting them on a plate, and leaving behind as much oil in the wok as possible.

11 Heat the wok again over a high flame and when it is hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until the onion starts to wilt.

12 Add the Sichuan peppercorn/doubanjiang/ketchup mixture to the wok and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 seconds, stirring often.

13 Stir in the shrimp and simmer until they turn pink and start to curl, then add the sugar peas or snow peas. Turn on the heat under the pan for frying the rice cakes.

14 Stir the cornflour and water mixture to recombine the ingredients, then drizzle about half of it into the wok. Stir the mixture in the wok constantly and simmer until the shrimp are fully cooked and the liquid is a light sauce consistency.

If the sauce is too thin, stir in more of the cornflour mixture. Stir in the spring onions, then turn off the flame.

15 Fry the rice cakes a few at a time until they darken slightly. Briefly drain on paper towels, then place them on a serving platter.

16 Pour the shrimp mixture over the hot rice cakes, add the coriander sprigs, if using, then serve.

Styling: Nellie Ming Lee; Kitchen: courtesy of Wolf at House of Madison

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