Vietnamese Shrimp on Sticks (Chao Tom)
Vietnamese Shrimp on Sticks (Chao Tom) consists of flavorful shrimp mousse wrapped around lemongrass or sugarcane sticks. It is a tasty appetizer for daily meals or parties.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 10-12 oz peeled and deveined shrimp
- 6-7 lemongrass stalks
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed or finely minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed or finely minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed or finely minced ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil ((plus more for greasing and frying))
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- 1
Make sure the shrimps are very cold. If you have time, put them in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
- 2
Cut lemongrass stalks into 4 to 4 1/2-inch sticks. If the outer layer is dry, peel it off. Make a few slits along the lemongrass to make it easier to release the aroma. You can watch the video in the post to see how to do this step.
- 3
Add shrimps to the bowl of a food processor. Also add garlic, shallot and ginger. Pulse a few times until shrimps are coarsely chopped.
- 4
Add salt, black pepper, fish sauce, olive oil and cornstarch to the food processor bowl and process until smooth.
- 5
Check if the shrimp mousse is still cold. If not, chill in the refrigerator. Use a spoon to mix the paste a few times. Very lightly oil your hand and use a tablespoon (or slightly more) of shrimp mousse to wrap around the top part of each lemongrass stick.
- 6
Place a fry pan with a generous amount of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add shrimp sticks and fry until golden. You can also grill them.
- 7
Serve hot with sriracha sauce (or Vietnamese nuoc cham dressing or Thai chili sauce), lettuce and fresh herbs. You can also add some rice vermicelli noodles to the serving plate.