Recipes / Vietnamese dishes / Fried Dishes

Tom Vien Chien (Fried Shrimp Balls with Lean Mayo)

Name: Tom Vien Chien (Fried Shrimp Balls with Lean Mayo)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Nationwide
Ingredients: Black tiger prawn 200g cut into small dice; gio song (raw pork paste) 50g finely chopped; ground pork fat 30g; tapioca starch 2 tablespoons; all purpose flour 2 tablespoons; Lean Mayo 2 to 3 tablespoons; seasoning powder 1 teaspoon; MSG 1 teaspoon; kOBE Monk Fruit Blend 1/2 teaspoon; fish sauce 1 teaspoon; black pepper 1/4 teaspoon; fried garlic 2 tablespoons

Vietnamese dishesFried DishesNationwide40 minutes

These shrimp balls fry to a glossy gold and still snap when bitten. The bowl of Lean Mayo alongside is what makes them. The hard part is mixing until the paste is tacky enough, since a loose one falls apart in the oil.

The mixture rests exactly 20 minutes before shaping, which is what binds it. The shrimp is cut into small dice rather than blended, so the bite stays. Each ball is rolled in a thin coat of flour before frying.

This batch weighs about 426g, at roughly 196 calories per 100g.

Nutrition (this recipe makes 3 servings)

195.9kcal

13.5gprotein

9.2gfat

0.8gsugar

The sweetness here comes from kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and fruit. 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 3 servings. This batch shapes all 200g of shrimp into balls, divided into 3 servings.

Ingredients for the batch

Black tiger prawn 200g cut into small dice
gio song (raw pork paste) 50g finely chopped
ground pork fat 30g
tapioca starch 2 tablespoons
all purpose flour 2 tablespoons
Lean Mayo 2 to 3 tablespoons
seasoning powder 1 teaspoon
MSG 1 teaspoon
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend 1/2 teaspoon
fish sauce 1 teaspoon
black pepper 1/4 teaspoon
fried garlic 2 tablespoons

Method

Rinse 200g black tiger prawns, drain them and cut into small dice so they mix easily and give the paste body.
Put the shrimp, 50g finely chopped gio song and 30g ground pork fat into a large bowl and mix well.
Add 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon MSG, 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons fried garlic. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons tapioca starch and mix firmly until the paste is tacky and clings to the hand, then rest for 20 minutes.
Rub a little cooking oil onto the hands and shape the mixture into round or slightly flattened balls.
Roll each ball through 2 tablespoons all purpose flour for a thin coat.
Heat enough oil to cover the balls and fry over medium heat until glossy and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, then drain on paper.
Arrange on a plate and serve with 2 to 3 tablespoons Lean Mayo for dipping.

Tips

A full 20 minute rest before shaping is what binds the balls so they do not break up in the oil.
Diced shrimp rather than blended shrimp keeps a real snap in every ball.
A little oil on the hands stops the mixture from sticking while shaping.
Medium heat is right, since oil that runs too hot browns the outside while the center stays raw.
Thirty grams of ground pork fat is what keeps the balls juicy, and leaving it out gives dry ones.

Need the monk fruit sugar or Lean Mayo?

These two are what kOBE cooks with in the recipe above. See the product page or send us a message.

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