Singapore Cereal Prawns

🍤🌾 Spice up your palate with Singapore Cereal Prawns! 🌶️🔥 This iconic dish is a delightful crunch and explosion of flavours that will transport you to the vibrant culinary scene of Singapore! 😋🌟 Cereal Prawns is a popular Singaporean delicacy featuring succulent prawns coated in a fragrant and crispy cereal mixture. A delightful fusion of flavours and textures.

Today, I want to share with you my personal experience and journey with a dish that holds a special place in my heart – Singapore Cereal Prawns. I first encountered this delectable creation during my visit to Malaysia, and from the very first bite, I was pleasantly surprised. It was unlike any prawn dish I had ever tasted before. The combination of sweetness, savory flavours, and a burst of umami was truly extraordinary. Not to mention, the texture was equally amazing, with crispy oats, crunchy prawn shells, and succulent, juicy prawn meat. Let me take you on a culinary adventure as I share my quest to recreate this remarkable dish in my own kitchen.

After that memorable experience in Malaysia, I became determined to recreate the magic of Singapore Cereal Prawns at home. I made my first attempt many years ago, using oatmeal only, but I felt that something was missing. I couldn’t quite capture the authentic flavours and textures that had made that initial encounter so unforgettable. However, my determination did not waver.

During my culinary explorations, I stumbled upon a menu item in a Malaysian restaurant here in New Zealand that caught my attention – Nestum Prawns. Suddenly, it all made sense. Nestum, a Malaysian breakfast drink composed of oats, rice, and corn, was the secret ingredient behind the incredible cereal prawns I had savoured in Malaysia. It was the missing link that I had been searching for all along.

Eager to recreate the dish with the authentic flavour profile, I set out on a mission to find Nestum. Unfortunately, my search in Asian grocery stores here in New Zealand proved fruitless. However, just when I was starting to lose hope, I stumbled upon a similar product from a different brand – Aik Cheong. It was a moment of joy and excitement, knowing that I had finally found the key ingredient that would unlock the full potential of my homemade Singapore Cereal Prawns.

With Aik Cheong’s Vita Flakes in hand, I embarked on my culinary adventure once again. This time, armed with the right ingredient, I carefully followed a recipe that combined the nostalgia of my first encounter with the dish and the flavours of authentic Singaporean cuisine. The aroma that filled my kitchen was irresistible, and as I took my first bite, I was transported back to that Malaysian restaurant. The combination of crispy oats, succulent prawns, and the harmonious blend of sweet and savory flavours brought sheer delight to my taste buds.

Singapore Cereal Prawns, a beloved dish in Singaporean cuisine, emerged as a culinary fusion of Chinese and Malay influences. Its origin can be traced back to the vibrant hawker centres of Singapore, where talented cooks blended local ingredients and flavours to create unique and unforgettable dishes. The concept of cereal prawns is believed to have originated from the popular Hong Kong-style cereal dishes, but it was given a distinctive twist in Singapore by incorporating local ingredients and spices.

My journey with Singapore Cereal Prawns has been a remarkable one, filled with delightful surprises and the joy of discovering new flavours. From that first unforgettable bite in Malaysia to the successful recreation in my own kitchen, this dish has left an indelible mark on my culinary repertoire. I hope my story and the history behind Singapore Cereal Prawns have sparked your curiosity and inspired you to embark on your own culinary adventures. Remember, the beauty of food lies not only in its taste but also in the personal stories and memories it creates.

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Singapore Cereal Prawns

  • Author: Raymund
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Singaporean

Description

Cereal Prawns is a popular Singaporean delicacy featuring succulent prawns coated in a fragrant and crispy cereal mixture. A delightful fusion of flavours and textures.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Prawn

  • 750 g large prawns
  • 3 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 egg
  • oil, for shallow frying

Cereal

  • 1 cup original Nestum cereal or Aik Cheong Vita Flakes
  • 1 chicken cube, crumbed
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp powdered milk
  • 6 pcs birds eye chillies, thinly sliced
  • 8 sprigs curry leaves, leaves removed
  • 100 g butter
  • salt
  • ground white pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine all purpose flour and cornflour in a tray.
  2. Whisk an egg in a shallow bowl.
  3. Coat prawns in egg, then dust with flour mixture. Fry prawns in hot oil until firm and orange around 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper, set aside.
  4. Mix Nestum cereal, caster sugar, powdered milk, and crumbled chicken stock cube in another bowl. Set aside.
  5. In a clean wok, melt butter over medium heat. Add curry leaves and sliced chillies, cook for 15 seconds.
  6. Add cereal mixture, toss for 2 minutes until cereal is lightly toasted.
  7. Add cooked prawns, toss for 1 minute.
  8. Season with salt and ground white pepper.
  9. Serve immediately.

Recommended

5 Responses

  1. Love prawns, but not a fan of cereals…

  2. Say what? Prawn and cereal? I know plain corn flakes are sometimes used for coating, but cereal is definitely something new to me. I’m not sure whether it’s my kind of dish, but it looks appetizing, and I’d give it a try!

  3. I’m not familiar with those cereals, but I can find a good substitute. They look delicious and crunchy!

  4. Oh wow — these sound amazing. I love the journey you took to get here and only hope I can find the cereal in our Asia grocery store. Like Mimi, if I can’t find the cereal, I will work on finding a substitute. This has me written all over it!

  5. suituapui says:

    Very popular dish, our part of the world. I seemed to notice when I was there in Auckland that the prawns were rather bland/mild…not as nice as our fresh seawater or freshwater prawns here.

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