Tom Nuong (Grilled Shrimp Paste)
Succulent grilled shrimp wrapped in sugarcane, infused with lemongrass and garlic. A Vietnamese street-food classic with smoky char and sweet, savory depth.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 95
- Protein
- 17g
Ingredients
- 10 pieces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass stalks, white and light green parts only
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced until smaller than a grain of rice
- 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 4 pieces canned sugarcane pieces or bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
Instructions
- 1
Slice each lemongrass stalk lengthwise from white root to pale green tip into thin ribbons roughly 1 inch wide. Set aside.
- 2
Place the shrimp on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels, pressing gently so no moisture beads remain on the surface.
- 3
Add the minced garlic, fish sauce, and sugar to a medium bowl, stirring with a fork until the sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds.
- 4
Add the shrimp to the bowl and stir gently with a rubber spatula until every piece is coated with the garlic mixture, about 1 minute.
- 5
Hold a sugarcane piece upright on the cutting board and press a shrimp onto the pointed end, wrapping the shrimp around the sugarcane like you are sliding a ring onto a finger. Repeat with remaining shrimp and sugarcane.
- 6
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat, allowing it to heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates in 2 seconds.
- 7
Lay each shrimp-sugarcane skewer directly on the hot grill grate, leaving about 1 inch of space between pieces so heat surrounds them evenly.
- 8
Cook without moving for 2 minutes until the shrimp bottoms turn opaque and develop dark grill marks from the intense heat.
- 9
Flip each skewer using tongs, rotating it 180 degrees so the opposite side faces the heat, and cook for another 2 minutes until the second side also turns opaque and charred.
- 10
Transfer the cooked skewers to a clean plate and let rest for 1 minute so the shrimp firms up.
- 11
Lay lemongrass ribbons across a serving plate, then arrange the shrimp skewers on top in a single layer, exposing the charred surfaces.
Tools you’ll need
- medium mixing bowl
- rubber spatula
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- paper towels
- fork
- grill or grill pan
- grill tongs
- serving plate
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