Pat the prawns down with some kitchen paper to ensure they're not too damp.
250 g (0.5 lbs) peeled raw king prawns
Take three wide bowls. Add the flour, salt, and pepper to the first bowl. Mix the egg and coconut milk in the second bowl. Mix the panko and coconut in the third bowl.
3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, pinch salt and pepper, 1 egg, 120 ml (½ cup) coconut milk, 5 tbsp panko breadcrumbs, 4 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
Coat the prawns first in the flour, then dip into the egg mixture, and finally coat in the coconut mixture.
When the oil is hot (you can tell it's hot enough by placing a couple of he panko breadcfumbs in. If they sizzle and start to brown very quickly, it's ready) add in the prawns.
Cook the prawns on one side until golden brown - about 1 - 1.5 minutes. Turn over and cook the other side until golden brown - about 1 minute.
Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon or tongs, and place on a piece of kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.
Transfer to a serving plate and top the prawns with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Serve with sweet and sour or sweet chilli sauce if you like.
1 tsp flat leaf parsley, sweet and sour or sweet chilli sauce
Notes
Can I use cooked prawns?Yes, you can use fresh ready-cooked prawns, or frozen ready-cooked prawns that have been fully defrosted. They're not quite as tender, but they still taste great.Can I make them ahead and reheat?They're best when freshly cooked, but you can make them ahead so long as you're using raw prawns. By using raw prawns, you're cooking them once, then reheating them once. If you were to be using ready cooked prawns, that means they'd be cooked before buying, cooked again with the recipe and then reheated again. That's too many times to reheat from a food safety point of view. So I don't recommend that.If i'm cooking ahead, I like to cook and freeze them, rather than store in the refrigerator, as they are less likely to become soggy.If you did want to cook ahead, use raw prawns, cook, cool quickly, then freeze in an air-tight container or bag. You may want to freeze for a couple of hours on a tray first, then transfer to a bag to be sure they don't stick together, although I find they don't tend to stick together even if I put them straight in a freezer bag.Reheat the prawns in the oven from frozen, on a baking tray. Make sure the prawns are in a single layer. Heat at 200C/400F until piping hot throughout. I find this takes about 7-8 minutes. They'll go a little dark then they were when they were first fried. They should still have a lovely crispy coating.Nutritional information is per serving.This recipes serves 4 - which is about 5-6 prawns each. I've calculated approx 4tbsp of oil is absorbed during the cooking process. Your prawn coating may absorb a little more or a little less.