Tom Chien Xu Sot Me (Panko Shrimp with Tamarind Sauce), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesFried DishesNationwide90 minutes
Tom chien xu sot me gives you shrimp with a loud, crisp crust and meat that is still juicy inside, served with a thick sweet and sour tamarind sauce. How thickly the panko clings comes down to the wet batter underneath. The hardest part is keeping the crust crisp once the sauce is on.
The wet batter has to be just thick enough: too thick and the coating is heavy, too thin and the panko will not stick. The tamarind sauce goes over the shrimp at the table, because a few minutes of sitting softens the crust.
This batch weighs about 836g, at roughly 147 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel 400g fresh shrimp, pull out the dark vein along the back and leave the tails on. Season with 1 teaspoon garlic juice, 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt and 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder.
Make the wet batter: put 1/2 packet crispy frying flour in a bowl, crack in 1 chicken egg, add 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt and 15 to 20ml water, then whisk until smooth and just loose enough to run off the spoon.
Crush half of the panko breadcrumbs lightly, then mix them back in with the whole ones.
Dip each shrimp in the wet batter, then roll it in the panko to coat every side.
Heat enough oil to submerge the shrimp; it is ready when the tip of a chopstick sets off small bubbles. Fry in batches over medium heat until golden and crisp, then raise the heat at the end to drive the oil out, and drain on paper.
Make the tamarind sauce: mash 1 block of dried tamarind with boiling water and strain out the seeds. Fry 4 cloves minced garlic until fragrant, then add 60g tamarind paste, 54g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 60g water, 20g ketchup and 20g chili sauce, and simmer over low heat until thick.
Arrange the shrimp on a plate and spoon the tamarind sauce over only at the moment of serving so the crust stays crisp.
Tips
The wet batter is right when it runs off the spoon in a steady ribbon rather than dropping in clumps.
Crushing half the panko gives a crust that is crisp and fine at once, with no coarse splinters.
Two stages of frying work best: medium heat to cook the shrimp through, then higher heat for the last thirty seconds to push the oil back out of the crust.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so the sauce needs another stir after 5 minutes before its sweetness is judged.
The red brown color of the sauce comes from the tamarind paste and the ketchup, and reducing it further to chase a darker color only makes it harshly salty.
Leftover tamarind sauce keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge and works on chicken wings and fried squid.
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.