Prawn Crackers

Method

1. Rinse 120 g of peeled raw prawns and pat them completely dry, then pound them in a granite mortar with 1 clove of garlic, 0.5 tsp of salt, 0.5 tsp of caster sugar and 0.25 tsp of ground white pepper until you have a smooth, sticky pink paste with no visible lumps of flesh. A blender works, but pounding gives the better bounce.
2. Scrape the paste into a bowl and stir in 0.25 tsp of bicarbonate of soda and 50 ml of cold water. Add 130 g of tapioca starch in three additions, mixing first with a spoon and then kneading on the worktop for 5 minutes to a stiff, smooth, non-sticky dough with the feel of firm modelling clay. Add starch a teaspoon at a time only if it still clings to your hands.
3. Roll the dough into an even cylinder about 4 cm across, wrap it snugly in banana leaf or oiled foil and twist the ends closed. Steam over a rolling boil for 40 minutes, topping up the water as needed, until the roll is firm and evenly translucent-grey right through — a skewer pushed into the centre should come out clean and dry.
4. Lift out the roll, unwrap it once cool enough to handle and leave it to cool completely, then chill uncovered in the fridge overnight. It must be cold and rubber-hard before slicing or the discs will tear.