Chao Tôm
Thomas J. Story
Chef Cuong Pham's sister’s place has long been the spot where the entire Pham family would come together to catch up, especially during summers when the kids were out on vacation and the daylight stretched long into the evening. Cooking and eating, of course, were a huge part of these gatherings, and the grill stayed hot throughout it all, sizzling with skewers of these bundles of Chao Tôm, shrimp freshly ground into a savory paste and wrapped around sweet sugarcane stalks. If you are fortunate enough to have fresh sugarcane at your local farmers’ market, pick up a few stalks and make good use of them in this recipe. Otherwise, canned sugarcane is widely available at Asian grocers and will work just fine. The Chao Tôm are great snacks to nosh on, especially when dunked into Nuôc Châm. You can also slide the shrimp into moistened rice paper wrappers, or serve them as part of a rice noodle bowl. This recipe makes about 20 pieces.
This recipe and others like it can be found in our story How the First Family of Fish Sauce Does a Holiday Feast.
This recipe and others like it can be found in our story How the First Family of Fish Sauce Does a Holiday Feast.
How to Make It
1
To Make Nuôc Châm: Combine sugar, smashed garlic, and chilies in a jar. Add hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let this mixture steep 15 minutes to allow the garlic and chilies to release their oils. Add fish sauce and vinegar. (If using lime or other citrus juice, make sure the water has completely cooled before adding it to the pot; otherwise, the warm liquids may cause the juice to become bitter.) Stir to combine. Add the peanuts, if using. The Nuôc Châm can be used right away, but its flavor will improve the next day. Nuôc Châm made with vinegar will last at least 1 week, and sauce made with lime juice is best used within the week it's made.
2
To Make the Shrimp Paste: Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, toasted rice powder, shallots, sugar, fish sauce, oil, and white pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 15 –20 times, then test if the paste is ready. Take 2 Tbsp. shrimp paste and form it into a ball; if the paste holds the shape without flattening on the bottom, it’s ready. If not, pulse a few more times and re-test, being sure not to overprocess, or it will fall apart and become mealy. Cover the shrimp paste and place in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour.
3
If grilling, place your grill over low coals or preheat the grill to medium. If baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. If cooking on a stovetop, oil a cast-iron pan and set it aside.
4
To shape the shrimp paste, first dip your fingers in the bowl of oil and coat your hands to prevent the paste from sticking. Pinch off about 2 Tbsp. shrimp paste and flatten it onto your palm. Place a sugarcane in the middle of the paste and close your palm to wrap the paste around the sugarcane. The shrimp paste should cover most of the sugarcane, leaving about 1⁄2-inch on each end. Pinch the ends of the paste to seal it onto the sugarcane. Apply a coat of oil onto each sugarcane shrimp. Repeat for the remaining shrimp paste.
5
If grilling: Grill the shrimp 10–15 minutes, rotating the stalk every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking. If baking: Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, rotating the shrimp and the pan after 5 minutes. If cooking on the stovetop: Place the well-oiled cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, rotating the shrimp every 3 minutes.
6
To serve, place the shrimp on a serving platter and set on the table along with the lettuce, herbs, peanut-coconut Nuôc Châm for dipping, and, if using, rice noodles or rice wrappers.
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Paste
1 ¼ lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
2 scallions, white ends only
¼ cup minced garlic
2 tbsp toasted rice powder
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp Red Boat fish sauce
½ tbsp vegetable oil, plus a small bowl of oil for shaping
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 (20-oz) can sugarcane, drained, quartered, and cut into 4-inch sticks, or 2 stalks cut into 4-inch sticks
For Serving
1 head lettuce, such as Bibb or Red Oak
1 bunch mint
1 bunch Thai basil
1 bunch cilantro
rice noodles or rice paper wrappers (optional)
Nuôc Châm (purchase it, or make it from the ingredients listed below)
If You're Making Nuôc Châm
7 parts granulated sugar
smashed garlic to taste
chopped Thai chilies to taste
12 parts hot water
4 parts Red Boat fish sauce
1 part distilled, white apple cider, Champagne vinegar, or lime juice
Chopped peanuts (optional)
Directions
1
To Make Nuôc Châm: Combine sugar, smashed garlic, and chilies in a jar. Add hot water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let this mixture steep 15 minutes to allow the garlic and chilies to release their oils. Add fish sauce and vinegar. (If using lime or other citrus juice, make sure the water has completely cooled before adding it to the pot; otherwise, the warm liquids may cause the juice to become bitter.) Stir to combine. Add the peanuts, if using. The Nuôc Châm can be used right away, but its flavor will improve the next day. Nuôc Châm made with vinegar will last at least 1 week, and sauce made with lime juice is best used within the week it's made.
2
To Make the Shrimp Paste: Add the shrimp, scallions, garlic, toasted rice powder, shallots, sugar, fish sauce, oil, and white pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 15 –20 times, then test if the paste is ready. Take 2 Tbsp. shrimp paste and form it into a ball; if the paste holds the shape without flattening on the bottom, it’s ready. If not, pulse a few more times and re-test, being sure not to overprocess, or it will fall apart and become mealy. Cover the shrimp paste and place in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour.
3
If grilling, place your grill over low coals or preheat the grill to medium. If baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. If cooking on a stovetop, oil a cast-iron pan and set it aside.
4
To shape the shrimp paste, first dip your fingers in the bowl of oil and coat your hands to prevent the paste from sticking. Pinch off about 2 Tbsp. shrimp paste and flatten it onto your palm. Place a sugarcane in the middle of the paste and close your palm to wrap the paste around the sugarcane. The shrimp paste should cover most of the sugarcane, leaving about 1⁄2-inch on each end. Pinch the ends of the paste to seal it onto the sugarcane. Apply a coat of oil onto each sugarcane shrimp. Repeat for the remaining shrimp paste.
5
If grilling: Grill the shrimp 10–15 minutes, rotating the stalk every 3 minutes to ensure even cooking. If baking: Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, rotating the shrimp and the pan after 5 minutes. If cooking on the stovetop: Place the well-oiled cast-iron skillet over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes, rotating the shrimp every 3 minutes.
6
To serve, place the shrimp on a serving platter and set on the table along with the lettuce, herbs, peanut-coconut Nuôc Châm for dipping, and, if using, rice noodles or rice wrappers.
Search All of Sunset's Recipes
The Latest
4 Stylish Ways to Earthquake-Proof Your Home’s Design
