Recipe: Air Fried Vietnamese Prawn Paste on Sugarcane

Air Fried Vietnamese Prawn Paste on Sugarcane

By Margarita Lee

Ingredients A:

• 1 kg prawns
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3 bulbs red shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar (to taste)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp potato starch

Ingredients B:

• 100 g raw pork lard, cut into small dice
• 8 sugar cane
• 2 egg whites

Method:

1. Rinse and devein the prawns then pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. 
2. Put the peeled prawn, garlic, white pepper and cooking oil into a food processor and blend well to form a smooth paste. Transfer the prawn paste into a bowl.
3. Beat the egg white until frothy. Mix the prawn paste with the beaten egg white and toss to combine. 
4. Add the diced pork lard and toss well. 
5. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 40 minutes and then divide the prawn paste into 8 equal portions.
6. Grease both hands and roll the prawn batter around the sugar cane. Shape well and let approximately 1.5 inches of the sugar cane be exposed.
7. Preheat the airfryer to 180c, air fry the chao tom for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Note:

The traditional way to make sugarcane shrimp or chao tom is to grill.