I’d never tried Vietnamese food before I came to the United States. There was no Vietnamese restaurant in my hometown and Vietnamese cuisine had never crossed my mind. Then, Thai food was the only exotic food I knew.
I first tasted Vietnamese food when I was attending graduate school in the Midwest. Stuck in the middle-of-no-where AKA Fargoland, Vietnamese food was a treat to my taste buds. I loved the familiar southeast Asian flavors: the noodle dishes, the steaming hot pho, the rice plates, the fresh bean sprouts, herbs, mint leaves, and oh yeah, fish sauce. Vietnamese food reminded me of the tastes of home–well, not quite, but they were close. It was comfort food back then and I gradually fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine…
Chao tom, or Vietnamese sugar cane shrimp is one of the appetizer dishes that I absolutely adore. While I always order them at restaurants, I have never attempted to make chao tom at home until recently. I got myself some fresh sugar cane and adapted my recipe of tau hu ky (shrimp paste with bean curd skin) and deep-fried them. (The traditional way of making sugar cane shrimp or chao tom is grilling.)
The sweet thing about making these chao tom (sugar cane shrimp) at home was that I could wrap as much shrimp paste around the sugar cane as possible, so every bite was a mouthful of delicious and springy shrimp paste. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound raw shrimp (smaller shrimp)
3 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
3 dashes fish sauce
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
2 dashes white pepper powder
2 teaspoons lard or cooking oil
Sugar cane (skin peeled and quartered into 5-inch length)
Method:
Rinse and devein the shrimp and pat dry the shrimp thoroughly with paper towels. Put the shrimp, garlic, white pepper, lard/cooking oil into a food processor and blend well to form a smooth paste. Transfer the shrimp paste into a bowl.
Beat the egg white with an electronic hand beater until frothy. Combine the shrimp paste with beaten egg white and blend well. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then divide the shrimp paste into four (4) equal portions.
Oil both hands and wrap the shrimp paste around the sugar cane. Shape them nicely and leave 1.5 inch of the sugar cane exposed. Heat up a wok of oil and deep fry the chao tom until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Related Posts:
- Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)
- Grilled Shrimp with Green Papaya and Mango Salad
- Banh Hoi (Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Beef)
Get new recipes via RSS and reader or subscribe via email
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I love chao tom with vermicelli and drenched in fish sauce. to have your chao tom recipe, so now I can just add bun to it and I have a bowl of bun chao tom. :)
Reply
It’s been a while since I drop by – been so busy that I’m even neglecting my own blog :P
What I love about Chao Tom is at the end of eating it, where you can bite on sugarcane and suckle on the sweet jus. MMm!
Reply
This Vietnamese dish instantly reminds me of Thailand’s deep-fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves. It is comfort food to me while overseas. I have my fair share while in HCMC. It is a wonderful aromatic dish with a sweet after-taste (from chewing the sugarcane). Cheers to good cooking!
Reply
Your photography is really top notch.Please keep up the good work.
Reply
The first time I had this was in Saigon — from a street seller — for breakfast! I think I’ve been hooked ever since. What a wonderful treat!
Reply
Yummm I love these! I even like to chew the “skewers” once the shrimp is gone.
Reply
Oh, don’t those look delicious! Are you supposed to eat the sugarcane at the end? Because I don’t think I’d be able to resist! :)
Reply
You are such a great cook. All your recipes looks so yummy….
Reply
Looks delicious!
Do you have to pat dry the sugar cane also? I am wondering how to ensure the shrimp paste well around the sugar cane before I deep fry them?
Thanks.
limpepsi
Reply
Yummy as usual! Now, I just have to try it but I already have a stack of them to try on my desk.For my health’s sake, I should definitely stop blog- hopping !
Reply
I have seen this on Vietnamese restuarant menu but haven’t tried making them myself. J’adore!!
Reply
i want tht too. where did u get the sugarcane fr?
Reply
I made something similar recently but my shrimp paste was flatter(cos running out of paste :P )…yours is big, fat and so tempting!
Reply
I love this dish but it definitely was a “special-occasion” treat when I was growing up. You’ve inspired me to make it at home now!
Reply
I love these sugar cane shrimp skewers! These look so plump: more goodness to have.
Reply
All – thanks for your comments.
Limpepsi – by freezing the shrimp paste, it makes it easier to handle. Yes, pat dry the sugar cane quarters. If you want, you can just pat the shrimp paste with a little flour before you drop them into the oil.
Reply
this is my favourite vietnamese appetizer too! i always order it when i’m having vietnamese food. thanks for sharing the recipe. now can try to make it at home :)
Reply
This looks delicious…
Didn’t even think about making this at home.
Reply
We used to eat Vienamese food in KL. They are delicious and yet not so spicy to my hubby n mil. We were talking about this sugar cane shrimp and glad to find the recipe here. Your photos are so beautiful! I am drooling…;)
Reply
Isn’t great that when we cook at home, we can have as much ingredients as we want in our dishes? I like the “fat” version of your chao tom, looks so yummy!
Reply
Isn’t great that when we cook at home, we can have as much ingredients as we want in our dishes? I like the “fat” version of your chao tom, looks so yummy!
Reply
Just to clarify chao tom is the name for the shrimp patty you make and place on the sugarcane.
The proper name for this is tom mi (tom-shrimp and mi-sugarcane).
Looks lovely.
Reply
Oh I have to make this! I just bought 2 bags of frozen shrimp on sale for half price. This is perfect. And, we are lucky here to have a Vietnamese restaurant just down the block!
Reply
I would love to try these.
Reply
I am so making this! Been thinking about doing something like this for ages, but never have the bravery to try it out. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Reply
Add 1/4 tsp baking soda to the recipe you’ll get an even smother texture :-)
Reply
Thank you for the great recipe. We recently made it and was great!
Reply
Rasa Malaysia replied:
Awesome. Are you going to post on your site?
Reply
ravenouscouple replied:
yup.. we just did a few days ago. :) Thanks again and keep up the great work.
Reply