Originating from imperial city of Hue, ‘chao tom’ had been created in the past by skilled chefs to offer to kings, but it is now a popular dish in all Vietnam’s three regions.
To cook this dish, the shrimp should be peeled of its shells before patting it dry with kitchen towel and then soaking it in salted water for one hour in the fridge.
Pork fat should be cut into pieces in pomegranate seed form, then soaked in water with one teaspoon of sugar and again left in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once drained, the two ingredients need to be finely ground, first with diced white fresh onion, then adding in pork paste and flounder fillet and continuing to grind it for a second time. Add all the other ingredients are then added the paste is ground again for a third time until the mixture is completely fine.
The last step is to wrap a spoonful or so of the mix around a piece of sugarcane in chicken leg form, then steam it for five minutes before frying it in cooking oil until it becomes a golden yellow in colour.
The final completed dish is ready when all the ‘chao tom’ sticks are bright yellow in colour. A taste that is both savoury and firm with a naturally sweet flavour from the fresh shrimp and the sugarcane.
It is enjoyable when eaten with rice noodles and herbs and dipped in chilli sauce.
