Sugarcane Prawn

First of all, Happy Lunar New Year to all of you! I hope this year will bring you love, happiness and joy…

I did not really celebrate Lunar New Year to the full extent here in Australia. Reasons? Many, but one of them is the very hot weather this week. The heat really turned me off, thus no baking or deep-fried food allowed! Instead, we celebrated the New Year with a light and aromatic dish called Chao Tom (Prawn Paste on Sugarcane Stick). The prawn paste mixture was molded onto sugarcane stick before being steamed and lightly grilled. Here the sugarcane gave the prawn a juicy and lightly sweet flavour. You could even chew on the sugarcane to taste the wonderful sweetness after finishing off the prawn (note: strong teeth required :D !).

The fun part was actually on the dining table! What each person did was placing the prawn together with lettuce leaf, varieties of fresh herbs and some rice vermicelli onto a rice paper then rolling it up. To eat, dip the whole thing into nuoc cham (dipping sauce) and enjoy the flavour to the fullest! It was so fun watching people busy rolling up the rice paper and eating. Some were very messy with their rolls, some were neat. But the main point was to be really quick otherwise nothing would be left for you.

As a host, this dish is quite quick to whip up. The prawn stick can be steamed earlier and grilled close to serving. The rest is just preparing some rice vermicelli, the dipping sauce and a lot of fresh herbs on the table. The herbs I used were lettuce, coriander, Vietnamese mint and Thai Basil. In Vietnam, more herbs are used but just use whatever available. The key point is the herbs should be fresh. And that’s all. You can sit down and relax until your guests arrive and let them practice their rolling skills!

Just some notes on the ingredients. I know fresh sugarcane is hard to get. I actually find that canned sugarcane from Thailand (pictured) works really well. The rice paper should be available at all Asian stores. However, if you can get the brand in the photo, it will be great. This particular type imported from Hanoi doesn’t need soaking before rolling. You can use it straight from the package to wrap things up.

PRAWN PASTE ON SUGARCANE STICK (CHẠO TÔM)

Ingredients (enough for 3-4 people as a light meal)

700gr of prawns, peeled, deveined and patted dry. (Frozen prawns work fine)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 chilies (optional)

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

1-2 tsp of ground white pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 can of sugarcane. Split each sugarcane into 3-4 parts lengthwise depending on the size.

Accompaniment

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (click on the link for recipe)

Rice Paper, as needed

300-400 gram rice vermicelli, soaked and rinsed as per package direction

Fresh herbs – Lettuce, Thai basil, Mint, Coriander or other Asian herbs

Cucumber, sliced (optional)

Method

1. Process the prawn with the garlic and shallot to a fine paste. Add fish sauce, egg, pepper, chili and oil. Pulse a few times to mix. (If the mixture is too wet, add a few spoons of corn flour).
2. Oil your hands; mould the shrimp paste onto the sugarcane – about 1 heap tablespoon each time. Place them into a oiled steamer and steam over high heat until almost cooked (3-5 mins). Alternatively, microwave them for 1-2 mins.
3. Pat dry the sugarcane stick then grill them over a barbeque, a hot griddle or under the griller in the oven until golden. Brush with extra oil occasionally.

Serving

1. Arrange a bowl of dipping sauce and a big plate full of fresh herbs on the table. Set a place for the rice paper. If your rice paper needs soaking, prepare a bowl of warm water as well.
2. To eat: If needed, briefly dip the rice paper into the warm water until just softens (do not soak for too long other wise it will become soggy). Arrange the lettuce, herbs, vermicelli at the centre of the rice paper. Then, remove the prawn paste from the sugarcane, put it in the middle of the herbs. Roll up into a cylinder, then dip into the sauce and eat. Continue the process until you are full or until nothing is left on the table.

I am submitting this aromatic post to Weekend Herb Blogging. The host for this week is the Chocolate Lady. Make sure to check out the round-up for exciting posts!

Tag: Weekend Herb Blogging Vietnamese Food