Preparation / Directions:
1. Take shells of shrimp. For deveining and making butterfly shape of shrimp, insert a knife into the back of a shrimp, and cut crosswise, but do not sever shrimp completely into half, leave some connection at head and tail ends. Remove knife, open shrimp halves to form butterfly shape, remove vein. Prepare all the other shrimp similarly. If desired, you could use the flat edge of you Chinese cleaver and pound the butterfly shrimp flatter.
2. Place some corn starch on a piece of wax paper. Carefully dredge butterfly shrimp on both sides in corn starch, place shrimp on another piece of wax paper to dry slightly.
3. Prepare a batter of 2/3 cup water, 1 egg, 2/3 cup flour, and salt. Mix batter thoroughly. Reserve.
4. Pour a good quality oil halfway up in your wok. Turn on your burner to its highest setting. When you think the oil is sufficiently heated, take a small piece of bread and place it in the oil. If the bread browns lightly on both sides, then the oil is ready for deep frying shrimp. If your bread fails to brown immediately in the oil, then your oil is not up to temperature yet. If your bread turns a deep brown or black, then shut the burner off and allow your oil to cool at least 5 minutes, before turning it on again. Be sure to test your oil again to see if it is cool enough to deep fry shrimp.
5. When your oil is ready for deep frying, take 6 or 8 or your dredged shrimp and place them in your batter. With a pair of chopsticks or fork, coat your shrimp with batter. Lift each shrimp out of batter carefully, so as not to disturb the butterfly shape, and slide each down the side of the wok into the oil. The shrimp will slide to the bottom of the oil, and then rise up to the top of the oil. After the shrimp have risen, cook about 1-1/2 minutes, then flip them over and deep fry 1 1/2 minutes on the under side. Remove shrimp to a plate covered with paper toweling to drain excess oil. Repeat procedure until all shrimp are cooked.
6. Remove cooked shrimp to a serving platter. Garnish with parsley or other raw vegetables.
NOTE: Coating of corn starch on shrimp helps the batter to stay on. Without the corn starch coating the batter readily comes off of the shrimp after cooking.
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