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Singapore Chili Prawns

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Singapore Chili Prawns

As you probably already know, I am a bit of a shrimp fanatic and I am always looking for tasty new ways to enjoy shrimp. I recently came across a really interesting recipe for Singapore chili prawns on Almost Bourdain that sounded so good that it quickly pushed its way to the top of my to try list. Not that it takes much to get me interested in a shrimp dish but the two things that caught my attention with this recipe were the use of the sweet chili sauce and the egg drop. I picked up a bottle of sweet chili sauce a while ago and I really liked it but I have only used it a few times since. I was looking forward to using the sweet chili sauce with shrimp! A while ago, when I made the Chinese hot and sour soup I was introduced to the concept of slowly pouring an egg into a hot liquid while stirring. The egg quickly cooks into little particles that give the liquid an amazing texture in addition to adding some protein to the sauce itself. Speaking of hot and sour, these chili prawns have both hot and sour elements along with sweet elements.
The Singapore chili prawns were really quick and easy to make and they turned out great! The sweet, hot and sour tomato sauce was so tasty and it went really well with the succulent prawns. I liked this dish so much that I have already made it a second time. The first time I served it with some cilantro and lime rice and the second time I served it with some crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce which saved me from having to lick the plate clean. 🙂

Make your own sweet chili sauce with the best sweet chili sauce recipe!

Singapore Chili Prawns

Singapore Chili Prawns

Prep Time:15 minutes Cook Time:20 minutes Total Time:35 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
  • 1/4 cup shallots (chopped)
  • 2 birds eye chilis or cayenne or red jalapenos (sliced)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
  • 1/2 lime (juice)
  • 2 teaspoons palm sugar (grated or sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, shallots, and chilies and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  3. Add the shrimp and saute for a minute on both sides.
  4. Add the water, tomato sauce, sweet chili sauce, lime juice. sugar and corn starch and bring to a boil.
  5. Stir the egg into the pan and continue stirring until the egg is cooked.
Similar Recipes:
Garides Tourkolimano (Greek Shrimp)
Coconut Shrimp with Apricot Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Camarones en Salsa (Shrimp in Salsa)
Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta
Chipotle Lime Shrimp
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    June 18, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    Hi Kevin,

    Thanks for trying out my recipe. I am so glad that it turned out well and you enjoyed it. Your picture looks amazing!

    Reply

  3. emily says

    June 19, 2009 at 12:17 am

    This looks delicious! Also, just wanted to thank you for having done a guest post about how to make printable recipes. I just found it by chance today and I'm thrilled.

    Beautiful photo, as always.

    Reply

  4. Jo says

    June 19, 2009 at 12:19 am

    Geez my mouth is watering and it's only breakfast time here in Melbourne…. another fantastic recipe and picture Kevin!

    Might even have to have it for dinner tonight – I have some prawns in the freezer!

    Reply

  7. Anncoo says

    June 19, 2009 at 1:01 am

    WOW! It's so nice of you to cook this chilli prawns…Mmmm…yummy! The beautiful colour of the sauce also looks like Singapore Laksa but of course it is a real spicy type.

    Reply

  10. Donna says

    June 19, 2009 at 2:36 am

    Wow, the prawns look huge and the dish looks amazing! What SLR camera do you use? I'm still deciding what Canon SLR I want to invest in. I'm buying Lowel Ego lights so I can pratice on my lighting. It's hard to take great pictures at night!

    Reply

  13. Christina Kim says

    June 19, 2009 at 3:36 am

    Yeah!! This is just my kind of dish! Not just a gorgeous dish, but with all my favorite flavors. Especially those huge shrimp! Once again, you have outdone yourself, Kevin.

    Reply

  17. Katerina says

    June 19, 2009 at 5:35 am

    This looks great. I love things that use egg drop. Ahem… occasionally when I am sick and there is nothing in the house I take a package of Ichiban, an egg and some green onion…

    and well you get the rest 🙂

    Reply

  23. Anonymous says

    June 19, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    I've been on a shrimp kick this summer and this looks like a terrific option. But the thing I really need to say is that there is no shame in licking the plate clean when the dish turns out to be stupendous. We do it all the time in this house, along with running a finger over the plate and heavy slurping noises.

    Reply

  32. Kevin says

    June 19, 2009 at 9:35 pm

    Donna: I am using a Canon SXi (450D) and I have been happy with it. I also have a Lowel Ego light and it has been amazing! No more relying on flash or waiting for the sun.

    Reply

  35. Bren says

    June 19, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    sweet Kevin, I don't eat shrimp, but the look of this made me want to momentarily forget that i don't eat shellfish. this looks fantastic! 🙂

    Reply

  36. Cindy says

    June 19, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Whoa, does that sound good! Love shrimp just about any way, except deep fried. Now to find some of that sweet chili sauce.

    Thanks Kevin and Ellie!

    Reply

  48. Anonymous says

    June 21, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    Wow, the photo looks brilliant! I love prawns so much=) I'm glad I stubbled upon your site because this recipe I can actually do! Or at least the ingredients seem simple enough..:P so YAY time for summer holiday cooking~!

    Reply

  56. lynnnj says

    July 14, 2009 at 5:40 am

    Have been reading your blog for a month now and loving it. Made the Singapore Chili Prawns this evening and enjoyed them immensely. Great flavor and texture. Will do it again soon.

    Reply

  57. Nilmandra says

    August 15, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Beautifully done prawns! Just a small suggestion from a Singaporean: Singapore chilli prawns normally does not have that much liquid though, so perhaps could do with a little adjustment. It is moist but the consistency is more like thick gravy; from the photo it almost looks like curry at a glance. But from the list of ingredients listed I am certain the taste was fantastic.

    Kudos to you, Kevin! I have always been impresed by the wide range of recipes that you do.

    Reply

  58. Phoenix says

    November 1, 2009 at 7:47 am

    Hi there!

    I just cooked Singapore Chilli Prawns this afternoon but did not follow this recipe. Your recipe and mine follows one that's traditionally for a crab dish, but crabs are such a pain to eat!

    Nilmandra is right in that, the consistency needs to be thicker and more 'clingy', such that it coats the prawns (rather than runs off it). (I'm from Singapore too)

    Perhaps add more corn flour or add less water?

    Here's the recipe I used (I'm a first-timer as well and was rather nervous about the egg drop. Haha.):

    http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/692507-singapore-chilli-crab-home-recipe-

    By the way, after I cooked this, I wiped sauce off my wok with a slice of bread coz it was too good to wash it off!

    In Singapore, they sometimes serve Chilli Crab with deep fried mantou buns. Awesome stuff. And sinful as hell.

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/3147593528_1f9f80f7ed_o.jpg

    Reply

  60. Holly says

    January 7, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    The prawns are delicious! I was hoping you can help me out…I had the most amazing spicy asian prawns at a restaurant, they were slightly sweet, spicy with a hint of coconut. I can't seem to duplicate them. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  64. Anonymous says

    July 25, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    My attention was drawn to your post "Singapore Chili Prawns" as I'm from Singapore. Strictly speaking, what you are cooking is sweet and sour prawn (thickened with eggs). Sweet and sour dishes are very popular in South East Asia where you can use chicken, fish, pork or prawn as the main ingredient. If you are cooking Singapore Chili Prawn or Crab, you need to use chili paste, as it gives you a more robust flavor. You may want to try the Prima premix (http://onlinestore.prima.com.sg/onlinestore/details.asp?prid=222) to see whether it's to your liking. It's sure hot and spicy, but that's how it should be.

    Wai Fong

    Reply

  66. Anonymous says

    October 29, 2012 at 12:46 am

    Thanks, Kevin! Loved this dish with the cilantro lime rice. Yummy. (Now if I can just keep the left overs from my son; it's my lunch tomorrow.)

    Reply

  69. Kevin says

    January 30, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Anonymous: I like to use cayenne, chili de arbol or birds eye chilies depending on what I have on hand but you could use pretty much any chilies. Feel free to substitute the sugar for your sweetener of choice.

    Reply

  71. kevin says

    November 13, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    Anonymous: I should have used the word sauce there as there is no broth in the sauce. The main liquid in the sauce is the water though you could use a broth if you like.

    Reply

  72. Deborah says

    October 28, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    I totally enjoy your recipes. I'm so used to adding 'extra' stuff to recipes but yours…mostly prepare as they are. Love that you put the nutritional info on most of them. Thanks so much

    Reply

  73. Unknown says

    November 3, 2017 at 7:23 am

    Hi, tried this recipe. It's very good. But I didn't use sugar as the tomato sauce and sweet sauce makes it sweet. The colour didn't come out like yours.

    Reply

  74. ALDO says

    March 1, 2019 at 3:09 am

    I made this… not look like the pic. Tasted like tomato sauce, terrible. The egg makes no sense & made sauce soupy. I actually Rinsed the shrimp & sautéed them in lemon & garlic. Do not make

    Reply

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