When it comes to one ingredient that I consume more than anything else in the world, it has to be shrimp. I love shrimp and I can eat it every day and for every meal. I am addicted to it.
When I had caramel shrimp at Cat Restaurant in Little Saigon a few weeks ago, I fell head over heals in love with it. It was one of the most delicious shrimp dishes ever and the taste was rich and intense—sweet, salty, savory, and extremely umami.
I came home and did some research on my cookbooks and the internet for the recipe but I was undecided. And then David of Houston Wok came to my rescue and shared his Vietnamese caramel shrimp or tom rim recipe with me.
I made it for my good friend Show Shanti (check out her beautiful blog and awesome photography about learning authentic Chinese cooking from real Chinese families in China, a MUST-READ) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
This recipe is only 150 calories per serving.
Vietnamese Caramel Shrimp Recipe (Tom Rim)
Caramel Shrimp (Vietnamese Tom Rim) - one of the most delicious shrimp dishes ever and the taste is rich and intense—sweet, salty, savory, and extremely umami.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh water prawn or shrimp, shell-on and head-on
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 bunches scallion
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Add all of the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and allow to marinate.
Caramel Sauce:
- 2 soup spoons cooking oil, we use canola
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
- 1To make the caramel sauce, put sugar in a small pan, spread to an even layer. Cook at medium heat (without stirring) until the sugar starts melting. Now, you can start stirring the sugar and keep cooking until this turns into a dark amber color. Turn off heat. Note that the sugar will continue to turn a darker color. Wait for about 30 seconds to one minute before adding the 2 tablespoons of water. Be careful as this will splatter. Turn the heat back on and cook at low heat until the caramel dissolves.
- 2Put the shells in a small pan and add a few tablespoons of water. Boil for a few minutes at high heat then discard the shells. Continue boiling to reduce the stock to about one tablespoon.
- 3Heat oil in a wok at high heat.  Add shallot and garlic; sauté until fragrant. Add the shrimp and brown quickly.  Add the stock, fish sauce, caramel sauce, salt, and sugar. Cook until the shrimp is done and the sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the scallions, stir, and turn off heat. Sprinkle on some black pepper and serve with steamed rice.
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