Recipes / Vietnamese dishes / Fried Dishes

Chao Tom (Fried Shrimp Paste on Sugarcane), No Added Refined Sugar

Name: Chao Tom (Fried Shrimp Paste on Sugarcane), No Added Refined Sugar
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Central Vietnam
Ingredients: 250g finely ground shrimp; 200g gio song (raw pork paste); 5 tablespoons tapioca starch; 1 egg white; 1/2 teaspoon white pepper; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend; 2 tablespoons finely diced carrot; 1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped; 5 sticks sugarcane; sauce made from 3 tablespoons chili sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 4 tablespoons water

Vietnamese dishesFried DishesCentral Vietnam45 minutes, including 15 to 20 minutes chilling the mixture

Chao tom comes down to pounding the mixture until it turns properly springy. The paste is wrapped around a stick of sugarcane and fried until the outside is golden and crisp, while the inside stays sweet with shrimp and scented by the cane. The hardest part is getting the paste to grip the cane so it does not slide off in the oil.

The mixture needs a long working, and the more it is pounded the springier the texture. It then chills for 15 to 20 minutes so the paste firms up and hugs the cane tightly. Oil that is not hot enough soaks straight into the coating and leaves it limp.

This batch weighs about 683g, at roughly 140 calories per 100g.

Nutrition (this recipe makes 1 serving)

140.5kcal

13.1gprotein

4.6gfat

0.7gsugar

The sweetness here comes from kOBE Monk Fruit Blend. There is no added refined sugar.

Estimated from raw ingredients; the real numbers shift a little depending on how you cook and what you buy.

This batch makes 1 serving. This batch makes 1 serving, enough to fill one person up with rice or vermicelli noodles. If you are serving a group, count 1 to 2 sticks per person and put out fresh herbs and vermicelli alongside to keep it light.

Ingredients for the batch

250g finely ground shrimp
200g gio song (raw pork paste)
5 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend
2 tablespoons finely diced carrot
1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped
5 sticks sugarcane
sauce made from 3 tablespoons chili sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 4 tablespoons water

Method

Mix the sauce: put 3 tablespoons chili sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 4 tablespoons water in a bowl and stir until dissolved.
Put 250g finely ground shrimp, 200g gio song (raw pork paste), 5 tablespoons tapioca starch, 1 egg white, 1 finely chopped stalk of spring onion, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon oyster sauce in a large bowl.
Pound the mixture until it is smooth and tacky.
Fold in 2 tablespoons finely diced carrot and chill the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture firms up.
Split the sugarcane into 5 thin sticks. Shape the paste into long ovals and wrap one around each stick.
Heat plenty of oil in a deep pan. When it is very hot, lower in the sticks and deep fry them until they are evenly golden.
Arrange them on a plate with lettuce, tomato and cucumber, serve with the sweet and sour sauce and eat while hot.

Tips

The longer the paste is pounded the springier it gets, and it is ready when it clings to the spoon.
Chilling the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes before wrapping is what keeps it from sliding off the cane.
Hands dipped in cold water shape the paste without it sticking.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir the sauce again after 5 minutes.
Medium heat suits these thick sticks, since a high flame burns the coating while the center stays raw.

Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?

The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.

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