Grilled Sweet Chilli Prawns with Stir-Fried Vegetables

Everything cooked outdoors, minimal washing up, maximum flavour — this is exactly what summer grilling is all about. The plancha griddle is the secret weapon here: it gives you a large, even cooking surface so the vegetables sauté beautifully while the prawns cook alongside them. Sweet chilli, sesame, ginger and a punchy soy-orange sauce bring the whole thing together. Serve with lemongrass-infused rice for something a little bit special.

Ingredients

For the prawns

• 16 large raw prawns, shell-off and deveined
• 240ml sweet chilli sauce (Mae Ploy is excellent)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the stir-fried vegetables

• 1 red pepper, julienned
• 1 yellow onion, julienned
• 100g sugar snap peas
• 55g mung bean sprouts
• 2 stalks celery, julienned
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

For the vegetable sauce

• 60ml fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons light soft brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour

Method

1. Wash and thoroughly dry all the vegetables, then prepare them into your desired cuts for stir-frying.
2. In a small bowl, mix together all the vegetable sauce ingredients until the cornflour is fully dissolved. Set aside.
3. Place your griddle (plancha) on the gas grill and preheat over medium-high heat.
4. Add the 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the hot griddle, then add the onion and carrots. Sauté for around 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add the red pepper, sugar snap peas, celery and asparagus. Cook for a further 8 minutes, tossing regularly, until the vegetables are tender but still have a little bite.
6. Turn one side of the griddle down to low and push all the vegetables to that side. Create a well in the centre of the vegetables and pour in the sauce. Stir well until the sauce thickens and coats everything evenly. Total veggie cooking time is around 15 minutes. Once done, turn off that side and keep the vegetables warm.
7. Lightly oil the other side of the griddle. Lay the prawns down in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Brush generously with sweet chilli sauce and cook for 4 minutes.
8. Flip each prawn over, brush with more sweet chilli sauce, and cook for a further 3–4 minutes until the prawns are pink, opaque and cooked through.
9. To serve, toss the mung bean sprouts through the warm stir-fried vegetables and divide between four plates. Top each portion with four prawns, add your lemongrass rice alongside, and finish with a scattering of toasted sesame seeds.

Chef's notes: Asparagus works brilliantly here, but broccoli or cauliflower florets are great alternatives. Pre-cut stir-fry vegetables from the supermarket are a genuine time-saver. For the lemongrass rice, simply add a bruised stalk of lemongrass to the water as the rice cooks — it adds a beautiful fragrance. For something a little different, fold toasted desiccated coconut through the cooked rice for a subtle sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the chilli prawns.

Originally published by Bull BBQ. Adapted for UK audiences by Cedar Kitchen in the Garden.