The better Chinese takeaways around here use the prawns I think you're after, I bought some recently from the freezer section of an Oriental supermarket in Huddersfield.

They were 9 quid a pack which seemed expensive at the time, but by weight they were still better value than the supermarket "king" prawns which are virtually like shrimp sometimes. These ones were about the size of a fat thumb, butterflied and had a very different flavour, really tasty with a nice meaty crunch that I've never had from a supermarket prawn.

Try your nearest Chinese supermarket, I'm sure they'll have them, if not you can probably order them online easily enough nowadays.

Hi all, been lurking here a while but first time posting, I've been busy reading through years of old threads.

Our freezer has an ice maker so storage space is pretty pathetic. I use the small resealable freezer bags from ASDA, less than a couple of quid for 40 i think.

I measure out 300ml portions of base in a measuring jug and pour into the bags. I try to get as much air out as i can without messing about too much. The bags lie flat in a shoe box that fits two side by side perfectly then each layer is separated with a piece of paper to stop them sticking together and tearing. Putting them in a box means i can stack other stuff on top to save on space.

To thaw them out i run the bag under the hot tap for a few seconds to loosen the block then snap it into smaller bits and tip into a bowl to zap in the microwave.

I think i usually get about 7 litres of single portions in the box, it's like a huge block of ice and no space is taken up by air or plastic cartons. Any leftover base gets used straight away or frozen in 4 portion batches.