Preparing Sesame Prawn Toasts

Sesame prawn toasts are a traditional Chinese Dim Sum starter. Ideal for using bread left over from the day before. It requires preparing a prawn paste for covering bread which is then deep fried. Serve with a sweet and sour sauce or soy sauce for dipping.

I’ve adapted what was one of Ken Hom’s signature dishes for the BBC. He was very clear that uncooked prawns had a better taste when it came to their use in this starter. The added egg binds the paste together and also puffs up the prawn paste when it is cooked. Some cornflower also helps just thicken up the paste too as earlier tests produced a paste surprisingly too runny for my fat fryer.

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Serves 4; preparation time: 30 minutes; Cooking time: 15 minutes – also includes chilling

Equipment

Prawn toast is technically simple, but it benefits from a small set of basic kitchen equipment that supports efficient prep, controlled frying, and safe handling of hot oil.

You need a food processor or blender to make the prawn paste. This is the most important piece of equipment. Raw prawns must be finely chopped and emulsified with seasonings and aromatics to create a smooth, spreadable mixture. A sharp knife can work in principle, but achieving the correct texture by hand is slower and less consistent. A small food processor is sufficient; capacity is not critical.

A cutting board and a sharp chef’s knife are required for trimming the prawns, chopping garlic, ginger, or scallions, and cutting bread into triangles or squares. Precision matters because uneven bread pieces cook inconsistently and absorb oil at different rates.

A mixing bowl and spoon or spatula are useful if you prefer to season or adjust the prawn paste after processing. This is also where you can fold in egg white, sesame oil, or starch without overworking the mixture in the processor.

A bread knife is helpful for cleanly slicing sandwich bread without compressing it. Soft white bread is standard for prawn toast, and a serrated blade prevents tearing and uneven edges.

For cooking, you need a frying vessel with sufficient depth and thermal stability. A wok is traditional and ideal because it heats quickly and allows efficient shallow frying. A deep, heavy-bottomed frying pan or saucepan also works, provided it can safely hold at least a few centimeters of oil without splashing.

A thermometer is strongly recommended, though not strictly required. Oil temperature control is critical to avoid greasy toast or burnt prawn topping. Maintaining oil around 170 to 180°C produces crisp bread and properly cooked prawns. Without a thermometer, you rely on visual cues and trial batches, which increases variability.

You need a slotted spoon, spider, or tongs to lower the bread into the oil and retrieve it safely. A spider is particularly effective because it supports the toast and drains oil quickly when lifting it out.

A wire rack set over a tray, or a plate lined with paper towels, is needed for draining excess oil after frying. A rack is preferable because it keeps the toast crisp by preventing steam buildup underneath.

Optional but useful equipment includes a pastry brush for lightly oiling bread edges if shallow frying, and a small bowl of water or egg wash to help sesame seeds adhere to the prawn paste if you use them

• Food Mixers

• Mixing bowls

• Cutting boards 

• Sharp knife

• Measuring spoons and cups

• Grill or grill pan (or oven with broiler)

• Small saucepan

• Basting brush

• Tongs

• Serving platter

Ingredients:

• 400 g medium uncooked prawns, peeled, cleaned and deveined
• 1-2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 whole egg
• 2 green spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 – 3 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornflower
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 6 – 8 slices day-old white bread and cut into two-bite size triangles or squares (3 inch by 1 inch is a rough size). ideally, the bread should be slightly stale!
  1 cup white sesame seeds – enough to fully cover the prawn paste when it is spread on the bread.
• approx. 15 fluid ounces of vegetable oil (groundnut or corn oil) for a wok or enough oil to deep-fry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Preparation of Sesame Prawn Toasts:

1. Put the uncooked prawns, salt, egg, chopped spring onions, ginger, soy sauce, cornflower, white pepper and sesame oil  into a food mixer with a blade. You can use a hand blender too. Just blitz until a smooth paste is created. If it is too runny, adding some more cornflower until it thickens and whizz again in the blender.
2. The paste will look like a pale gruel. It can be made up to 3 or hours in advance if kept in the fridge.
3. Take the bread pieces and cover with a liberal spread of prawn paste using a palette knife. This step cannot be done too much in advance as the bread becomes soggy. Keep producing the coated bread pieces. 
4. Sprinkle all of the bread pieces with sesame seeds.
5. Set up a deep fat fryer (350F/190C) or add oil to a wok which you heat up. A wok will need according to Ken Hom just 15 fluid ounces of vegetable oil. You know the oil is hot enough when you drop a piece of food in and it floats back up and starts frying.
6. With a deep fat fryer, put the basket into the oil and then lift up. Place the bread pieces, paste downwards onto the basket mesh. These will float to the top because the paste needs to be fully cooked. A basket will take a layer of bread pieces. Don’t have two layers as overcrowding will not help cook the pieces. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until they are well toasted and golden-brown. 
7. They are done when you press them and they are firm with a slight give.