Try these Vietnamese Prawn Skewers (Chạo Tôm) they are sweet, spicy and delicious. The prawn skewers make a great appetiser served with lettuce, fresh aromatic herbs and vermicelli noodles.
Vietnamese Prawn Skewers (Chạo Tôm)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
350g ASC labelled raw prawns
3 cloves garlic
1 pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 long red chilli , de-seeded & finely chopped
2 spring onion stalks, finely chopped
1 lemon zest
Sugar cane, skin peeled and quartered into 12 cm lengths, (lemongrass sticks add a nice aromatic touch if you don’t have sugarcane)
Oil for frying.
Method:
Rinse and devein the prawns, then pat them dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Place the prawns, garlic, white pepper chillies, salt, sugar and fish sauce and lemon zest into a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste forms. Transfer the prawn paste to a bowl and fold in the spring onions.
Beat the egg white until frothy. Combine the prawn paste with the beaten egg white and mix well. (this step will add more Albumin to the mix to help it stay together during the shaping process)
Chill the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.
After chilling, divide the prawn paste into equal portions.
Oil both hands and wrap the prawn paste around the skewer, shaping it evenly while leaving about 4 cm from the bottom.
Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the Chạo Tôm until golden brown.
Serve immediately with lettuce, fresh aromatic herbs and vermicelli noodles.
Smart Tip:
I love to add Lemon Myrtle to do an Australian Native inspired version. Lemon myrtle is a slightly citrusy aromatic leaf similar to Kaffir lime leaves that add a lovely kick to the dish.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Recipe adaptation by Nina ‘Teddie’ Huynh.
