This gives you a jar of thick, glossy shrimp paste that goes with almost anything. The hardest part is cooking it down until it is truly dry, since any moisture left behind spoils it quickly. Every jar of Hue shrimp paste has its own level of saltiness, so taste as you go.
The minced pineapple is cooked down on its own until it turns sticky, and only then does the shrimp paste go in. After the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and minced chili, the batch still needs 20 minutes over low heat, until the color turns a deep red brown.
This batch weighs about 6.5kg, at roughly 84 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel the garlic and lemongrass, wash them and mince them finely. Cut the hard core from the pineapple and mince it.
Set a large pan over the heat, add 200ml cooking oil and fry 100g minced garlic until golden and fragrant, then add 100g minced lemongrass and stir until the aroma comes up.
Tip in all 1.4kg of pineapple and cook it down over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reduces, dries out and turns sticky.
Add 3kg mam ruoc, stir it into the pineapple, add 50g MSG and cook for 15 more minutes.
Add 1.8kg kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1.5 tablespoons minced chili, and cook for about 20 more minutes over low heat until the paste is thick, glossy and deep red brown, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Once it is completely cool, transfer it to clean glass jars, seal them and keep them somewhere cool and airy or in the fridge.
Tips
Cooking the pineapple down until it is truly dry is the step that decides how long the paste keeps.
The amount of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend is balanced against the saltiness of the mam ruoc (fermented shrimp paste), so keep the full measure for that thick, glossy finish.
Use a wooden paddle and a very large pan, since a 3kg batch in a crowded pan cooks unevenly.
Keep the heat low at the end and stir without stopping, since the bottom of the pan scorches easily.
The paste must be completely cool before it goes into jars, because any warmth leaves condensation inside.
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.