Cook Like A Pro: Try This Recipe From BEDU’s Head Chef

Recreate dishes from Hong Kong’s top culinary talent at home!

We’re constantly on the lookout for cooking inspiration and are always swapping ideas in the office, which is why we’ve started a regular recipe post featuring chefs from some of our favourite eateries across the city. Every month, we’ll ask one restaurant to pick a dish to share with our readers. This time, it’s the turn of Chef Corey from popular Middle-Eastern eatery BEDU on Gough Street. He’s chosen to share the secrets behind his char-grilled red harissa king prawns with coriander salad.

Read more: Cook Like A Pro: Try This Tasty Dinner Recipe From John Anthony

Of course we had to ask him what inspired this flavourful dish:

It’s inspired by the love Israelis have for the seaside, and the significance of seafood in their food culture, along with influences from the Mediterranean. The red harissa is the Middle Eastern touch, a balance of spicy, sour and smokiness (which comes from grilling the peppers and chilli) and pairs nicely with king prawns.

We also asked why he thinks it will be a hit with Sassy readers:

It’s seafood cooked simply, where the complexity of flavour comes from an easy-to-make harissa marinade. Again flavour wise it balances spicy, sour and smokiness. Overall it’s a great dish for summer and a recipe that can easily be replicated in the home by anyone. It uses ingredients readily available from the market that can be cooked over a domestic stove top (or BBQ on the terrace, if you have that luxury!).

Char-grilled Red Harissa King Prawns with Coriander Salad from Chef Corey

Ingredients

200g grilled red peppers, peeled and seeded after cooking (see method)
150g long red chilli, peeled and seeded after cooking (see method)
8g sea salt flakes
140ml olive oil
25g smoked paprika
10g ground cumin
4 whole garlic cloves
80ml pomegranate molasses
5g kalonji (Nigella seeds)
1 lemon
200g coriander (washed)
8 king prawns (shell on)

Method

1. Heat a griddle pan or regular pan to medium high heat. Grill the red peppers until the skin is slightly blackened, place in a large bowl and cover for 10 minutes. This will allow the skin to be removed easily along with the seeds.
2. Repeat this process for the long red chilli.
3. Blitz the peppers, chilli, molasses and garlic cloves into a blender, slowly adding the oil until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pour into a large bowl and add the remaining spices, salt and kalonji.
5. Add the prawns, and marinate for a minimum of 1 hour.
6. Heat a griddle pan or regular pan to medium heat an cook the prawns until the shell starts to colour (approx. 2 mins either side, depending on the size of the prawns).
7. Serve with the fresh lemon and coriander.