1. Thaw and drain prawns with their tails on.
2. Preheat and set deep fryer to 180 degrees. Mix baking soda, flour and salt together in a bowl.
3. Combine the ice cold water and egg and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork to remove all lumps. Pat dry the prawns with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture and dip into the batter, holding the prawn by the tail.
4. Place in the hot oil and cook for 2-3 minutes till golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
5. To make the sauce, combine the spring onion with the sweet chilli sauce and lemon juice.

Tips

If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can simply use a few inches of oil in a deep pot on the stove. Be sure to use an oil thermometer to make sure your oil isn’t too hot or too cold. We’ve included a simple, tasty dipping sauce with our tempura prawns recipe, but you can use any dipping sauce you like.

Try out these tasty dipping sauce alternatives:

Soy dipping sauce.
Whisk together equal parts soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Add extra flavour with sesame oil, honey, garlic or chopped spring onions.

Sriracha mayo.
Mix up a few tablespoons of your favourite mayonnaise with a dash of sriracha and a splash of lime juice for a spicy, zesty dipping sauce.

Peanut satay.
In a small saucepan, sautée onion and garlic in a bit of oil. Add half a cup of crunchy peanut butter and a bit of water to thin the sauce. Once the sauce is a good consistency for dipping, remove from the heat and stir in a dash each of Thai sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce and lime juice.

Thai mango dressing.
In a blender or food processor, blitz diced mango with a splash of lime juice, crushed garlic and ginger. Add a bit of coconut milk if you like a creamy dip, and some sweet chilli sauce if you enjoy heat.

Buffalo sauce.
For a Southern American twist on fried prawns, serve them with your favourite buffalo sauce. To turn down the spice, gently melt a pad of butter in a small saucepan and stir in enough buffalo sauce until you reach your desired heat.

Shrimp cocktail.
Cocktail sauce is an absolute classic for prawns or shrimp. Follow our simple shrimp cocktail recipe to make your own sauce, then try serving it alongside tempura prawns for a bit of a change.