Vietnamese Sugarcane Shrimp (Chạo Tôm)

• porzioni: 16 servings
• tempo di preparazione: 25 minutes
• tempo totale: 35 minutes

Ingredienti

1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)

4 oz pork paste (Gio Song, see notes)

1 teaspoon tapioca starch (optional)

2 green onions (thinly sliced)

1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (optional)

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon MSG or 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or white pepper

Vegetable oil or other neutral oil (to prevent sticking and pan frying)

4 2.5-inch sugar cane pieces (quartered) or 8 stalks lemongrass (halved)

Istruzioni

Prepare the shrimp mixture

Rinse the shrimp and drain well. If needed, pat them dry with paper towels. Transfer the shrimp to a large Ziploc bag or mortar, then use a mallet, pestle, or anything heavy to pound them into a paste. Move the shrimp paste to a mixing bowl, then add the pork paste, tapioca starch, green onions, minced lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and optional MSG. Mix everything until well combined. Alternatively, toss everything together into a food processor and blend until smooth. The texture won’t be quite as bouncy, but it’s a lot faster.

Make the skewers

Wear disposable gloves and lightly oil your hands. Divide the shrimp mixture into 16 equal portions. Take one portion and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Place a sugarcane skewer on top and mold the shrimp paste around it. You can wrap the mixture at the end of the sugarcane to resemble a lollipop or in the middle to resemble corn on the cob. Once assembled, transfer the shrimp skewers to an oiled sheet pan and repeat with the remaining mixture.

Air fryer method

Lightly brush the skewers with oil and air fry at 380°F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Grill method

Preheat the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the skewers for about 5 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Pan-fry method

Heat a light layer of oil in a pan over medium-high. Cook the skewers, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy (about 5 minutes total). Make sure you use a non-stick skillet!

Serve

Enjoy them straight off the skewer as an appetizer or in a full meal by removing the shrimp paste from the sugarcane and wrap it in lettuce or rice paper with fresh herbs. Enjoy the rolls with Vietnamese fish sauce (nước chấm) or sweet chili sauce.