Name: Yama Kitchen & Bar’s prawn toasts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 slices 2-day-old white sandwich bread crusts removed, halved to make rectangles; 50 gm plain flour (1/3 cup); 3 eggs, beaten; 200 gm panko crumbs; Sunflower oil, for deep-frying; Kewpie mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce and dried bonito flakes, to serve (see note); Prawn farce; 500 gm peeled raw king prawns, cleaned and coarsely chopped; 40 gm ginger, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 eggwhite; 1 tsp caster sugar; 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced; 2 tbsp dried bonito flakes (see note); 1 tbsp Japanese pickled ginger (gari), drained, thinly sliced (see note); 1 tsp sesame oil

Yama Kitchen & Bar’s prawn toasts

An okonomiyaki-prawn toast Frankenstein mash-up that somehow works.

Serves 6

Prep

30M

Cook

15M

Total

45M

“A dish that everyone knows, but is often not done as well as you would hope,” says Michael Ryan. “I had a version at Adam Liston’s Northern Light – it was fantastic and is the inspiration for our version made with Australian Crystal Bay prawn meat. It’s an okonomiyaki/prawn toast Frankenstein mash-up that somehow works.”

Ingredients

6 slices 2-day-old white sandwich bread crusts removed, halved to make rectangles

50 gm plain flour (1/3 cup)

3 eggs, beaten

200 gm panko crumbs

Sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Kewpie mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce and dried bonito flakes, to serve (see note)

Prawn farce

500 gm peeled raw king prawns, cleaned and coarsely chopped

40 gm ginger, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 eggwhite

1 tsp caster sugar

4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 tbsp dried bonito flakes (see note)

1 tbsp Japanese pickled ginger (gari), drained, thinly sliced (see note)

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

Main

1.For prawn farce, process prawns, ginger, garlic, eggwhite and sugar in a food processor to coarsely chop. Add spring onion, bonito, ginger and sesame oil and pulse to just combine. Season to taste and fry a small piece to check the seasoning.

2.Spread 2 tbsp prawn farce evenly over each piece of bread with a small spatula, making the mixture thinner at the edges. Place flour, eggs and panko crumbs in separate bowls. Lightly roll prawn toasts in flour, shaking off excess, then dredge in eggs and gently roll in panko to coat evenly. Place on a tray lined with baking paper.

3.Heat oil to 170C in a deep saucepan and deep-fry prawn toasts in batches, turning occasionally with a fork, until golden brown and cooked through (4-5 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Drain well on paper towels, drizzle with Kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce, sprinkle with bonito flakes and serve warm.

Kewpie mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi) and pickled ginger are available from Asian supermarkets.
Drink Suggestion: Bridge Road Pale Ale, Beechworth, Victoria. Drink suggestion by Rachel Reed
Notes