Guangming Li shares his recipe for a favourite starter dish

I am Guangming Li, aged 34, originally from China. I am married and have a son. My parents are the source of my interest in good, honest and rustic food.

At the age of 20, I had the good fortune of joining as an apprentice at my uncle's restaurant. I started from scratch as a washer up, kitchen porter right up to a chef within two years. I left for the big city near my hometown and got myself a position in a four-star restaurant.

I was promoted to being one of the many sous chefs working directly under the head chef who was very renowned in the city. I acquired my professional skills and when I turned 27, I decided to set up on my own and opened a small restaurant in the same city. I joined SoJo in Oxford when was 29..

SALT, PEPPER & GARLIC PRAWNS

Salt, Pepper and Garlic Prawns is a favourite starter dish in Chinese restaurants in UK. This is Cantonese cuisine and there are very many variations of preparations.

It is simple to prepare and widely relished.

SoJo serves them plainly and deliciously.

Ingredients – Serve 4

- 16 pcs of peeled king prawns ( size in accordance to preference)
- 1 whole fresh chilli finely chopped/diced
- 4 segments of garlic finely chopped/diced
- 2 sprigs of spring onions finely chopped/diced
- 1 cup of cooking oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 egg thorough whipped
- 500 grams of flack wheat

Preparation Heat a deep pan with a cup of cooking oil until hot/smoking

Whilst heating the oil, empty the flack wheat and 1/4 of sea salt into a mixing bowl and mix. Dip the peeled prawns in the whipped egg

Then fish out the egg coated prawns and coat it very lightly in the bowl of flack wheat shaking off excess wheat flour

Straightaway sautée the egg and flack wheat coated prawns in the hot cooking oil until the prawns are half cooked or the light batter has golden in colour. This process should not take more than four minutes depending on the size of the prawns

Take the sautéed prawns out and set them on kitchen paper to mop off excess oil

Heat up a wok/frying pan with 1 1/2 teaspoon of cooking until smoking

Throw in the finely chopped garlic, chilli, spring onion, 3/4 spoon of sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper into the heated mix for 10 seconds until aromatic

Finally gather the sautéed prawns and place them in the mixture in the wok tossing the wok and afterward gently folding the prawns with the mixture of garlic, chilli, spring onions, salt and pepper until prawns are cook. This should take another three minutes.

Remove contents from wok and serve on starter plates. One might wish to garnish the starter plates beforehand but not necessary.