Grilled Shrimp Paste on Sugarcane

Name: Grilled Shrimp Paste on Sugarcane
Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings as part of a multi-dish meal
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 oz. (57 g.) Minced pork fat, pork belly, or fatty trimmings from pork shoulder or butt; 1 lb. (454 g.) Small shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and roughly chopped; 1 tbsp. Shallot, minced; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 small Cucumber, Kirby variety preferred, bite size julienne strips, about ⅛ inch (0.3 cm.) thick; ½ lb. (227 g.) Fine rice vermicelli, cooked or rice paper sheets; 1 head Green and/or red leaf lettuce—separate leaves, wash and spin dry, then rip into 4 to 6-inch pieces; 1 recipe Scallion oil; 5 pieces Sugarcane, 4-inch (10 cm.) lengths, each stalk cut lengthwise into four sticks (about one 20 oz. (567 g.) can. If available, use fresh sugarcane: peel outer edges, then cut); 1 tbsp. Finely ground roasted rice powder or store bought (substitute rice flour or cornstarch); ½ tsp. Ground black pepper; 2 tsp. Granulated sugar; 2 tsp. Fish sauce (nước mắm); ½ tsp. Kosher salt; 1 recipe Lime dipping sauce, nước chấm and/or Vietnamese Peanut Sauce, tươc đậu phọng; 8 to 12 sprigs Cilantro; 8 to 12 sprigs Mint

Chạo Tôm

Preparation info

Makes
4 to 6
servings as part of a multi-dish meal

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Southeast Asian Flavors

By Robert Danhi

Published 2008

About

This dish is eaten by breaking some of the grilled tender shrimp “mousse” from around the sugarcane stalks, bundling it in a lettuce leaf with a rice noodle sheet, herbs, and cucumber, and then dunking it into a lime dipping sauce. It originated in Huế, central Vietnam. A small amount of pork fat enriches the shrimp paste. Finely ground roasted rice powder (sidebar pg. 244) (thính) helps create the paste’s unique texture. The paste is applied to sticks of sugarcane, steamed to

Ingredients

Asia
Vietnam
Dinner
Starter
Gluten-free
Southeast Asia

Ingredients

Method