Ingredients

• ½ pineapple
• peeled
• cored
• and cut into 2½cm/1in chunks
• 3 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 3 spring onions
• trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1¾ tsp black peppercorns
• crushed
• 1¾ tsp fermented black beans (available from Chinese supermarkets)
• rinsed
• squeezed dry and chopped
• 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 lime
• juice only
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 12 large prawns
• cleaned
• peeled
• veins removed and halved
• 30g/1oz diced jÃcama (optional)
• to garnish
• 10g/½oz baby pea shoots
• thinly sliced

Directions

• For the black pepper shrimp with sundried pineapple
• preheat the oven to 90C/200F/Gas ¼. Put a rack on top of a rimmed baking tray and line the rack with greaseproof paper.
• Put the pineapple pieces on the greaseproof paper in a single
• even layer. Bake for about three hours until the pineapple is dried
• shrivelled
• and chewy. Remove from the tray and cool completely on a cooling rack.
• Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the spring onions
• ginger and garlic and cook
• stirring
• until softened and golden-brown. Add the crushed pepper and cook until fragrant
• then add the black beans
• soy sauces
• lime juice
• sugar
• and salt and bring the mixture to a boil
• stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for two minutes. Transfer to a blender and purée until coarsely blended. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining two tablespoons oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When the oil is just about smoking
• add the prawns and cook
• turning the pieces once
• until crisp and browned. Remove the oil from the wok
• then add the black pepper sauce and two tablespoons water. Cook
• stirring
• until the prawns are well-coated.
• To serve
• decoratively arrange the prawns on your serving plate
• garnish with the jicama
• pea shoots and pineapple.