Dragon Prawns Recipe

Last Updated On: Jul 9, 2026 by Aarthi

Dragon Prawns also known as Dragon shrimp is a popular Indo Chinese recipe. Prawns is dipped in a batter and fried till super crispy and crunchy. The crispy prawns is tossed in a chilli sauce that has fried cashews, garlic which makes it unique. This spicy dragon prawns taste amazing with fried rice or noodles.

Chinese style recipes are my absolute favorite, I cook them often at home. I have a variety of Chinese dishes shared already on the blog. I made this prawns recipe few days back, since we loved the dragon chicken. This turned out so delicious and everyone loved it with veg noodles.

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About Dragon Prawns

Dragon Prawns also known as dragon shrimp is a popular Indo Chinese recipe. It is so good, which is loved by everyone. Dragon prawns got popular in restaurants all over India. What makes dragon prawns special is the chilli paste and cashews used. It is what makes the dish unique.

The speciality of dragon prawns is in the sauce and the batter. The batter which I have shared is just perfect. It helps get super crispy texture in the prawns once fried and also the prawns stay crispy longer.

The key point is the measurement of cornstarch to plain flour. Also the little baking powder makes a huge difference in the texture.

Now comes the most important part, which is sauce. The sauce is made with dry red chillies, garlic, cashews, onions, red chilli paste, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Taste and adjust the sauces and seasonings to get the sauce spot on.

Similar Recipes

The one question which I get most is, how to get restaurant style taste in Chinese dishes. The reason behind the taste is MSG or Ajinomoto. It is the only ingredient that helps with authentic taste.

Even though there is a lots of the controversy about MSG, taking them in moderation is not at all a problem. If you want authentic taste you can add a touch of it in your Chinese dishes for that taste.

If you are planning to make this ahead of time. I recommend you to make the sauce in prior. At the time of serving, reheat the sauce and add the fried prawns in and toss. Thats it, crispy dragon shrimp is ready.

Ingredients

Prawns – Use medium to large prawns for this dish. Try to source fresh prawns, you can wash the prawns in vinegar water to remove any fishy smell.
Garlic – I love to add lots of finely chopped garlic for the fresh refreshing taste.
Spring Onions – white part is added when making the sauce and greens is added in the end to finish.
Dry Chillies – use dry red chillies which is fried to get spicy kick.
Flour – for the batter, I used a combination of plain flour and cornstarch to get perfect crispy texture.
Baking Powder – a small amount of baking powder makes the outer coating super crispy.
Sauces – I used soy sauce, red chilli paste, ketchup, vinegar.
Seasonings – salt, black pepper powder and sugar is used as seasonings. You can add a small pinch of MSG.
Oil – I used neutral oil for deep frying. Try using sunflower oil, peanut oil.

Step by Step Pictures

1)Take plain flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, pepper in a bowl.

2)Slowly add water and make it to a smooth and slightly thick batter.

3)The batter shouldn’t be too thick or too thin.

4)Add prawns in the batter.

5)Dip prawns in the batter to coat evenly.

6)Drop the prawns in hot oil and fry till golden brow and crispy. It will take around 5 to 7 minutes to get super crispy. The colour should be golden brown. That’s when the prawns stay crispy even when tossed in the sauce.

7)When the prawns is frying, make the sauce. Heat oil in a pan. Add in garlic, spring onion white, dry red chillies and cashews. Fry till light golden in colour.

8)Add in red chilli paste, soy sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup.

9)Add in sugar.

10) Cook for couple of minutes until the sauce thickens and gets thic.

11)Add in ½ cup of water and bring it to a full boil.

12)Now add in 1 teaspoon of the leftover batter into the sauce and mix well to thicken.

13)Let it cook for 1 minute.

14)Look the prawns is deep golden in colour. The prawns has turned super crispy too.

15)Once the prawn is fried, strain it through a slotted spoon and place on some paper towel to remove excess oil.

16)Now add in the fried prawns into the sauce.

17)Add in spring onion greens and toss to combine.

18)Serve hot with rice.

Expert Tips

Use medium to large prawns for this dish. Try to source fresh prawns, you can wash the prawns in vinegar water to remove any fishy smell.
Take you time to fry the prawns till super crispy and golden brown. This way the prawns stay crispy even after tossed in the sauce.
Always taste and adjust the seasonings and sauces.
Mix the fried prawns in the sauce few minutes before serving so the prawns doesn’t get soggy.

Serving and Storage

Enjoy dragon prawns hot and immediately after made for best crispy texture. This dish taste great with fried rice or noodles.

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