Chạo Tôm with Lemongrass Skewers

Golden brown chao tom skewers on lemongrass sticks are arranged on a plate with white vermicelli noodles and leafy greens visible in the background.

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Chạo Tôm with Lemongrass Skewers

Chao Tom or Vietnamese sugarcane shrimp skewers are a lowkey popular Vietnamese appetizer. It's one of those things where if you know, you know. It is made of a shrimp and pork paste wrapped around a sugarcane stick that is fried to perfection. In this post, learn how to make my easy version of this popular dish with sticks of lemongrass instead of sugarcane.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: chao tom, chao tom recipe, how to make chao tom

Servings: people

Calories: 2017kcal

Author: Becca Du

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp
½ cup pork paste
1 tsp corn starch
1 green onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp lemongrass minced
2 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp white pepper
8 pieces lemongrass 4-inch pieces
4 cups avocado oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To a food processor, add 1 lb of shrimp, 1/2 c of pork paste, 1 tsp of corn starch, 1 thinly sliced green onion, 2 tbsp of lemongrass, 2 tsp of fish sauce, 1/2 tsp of chicken bouillon powder, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar, and 1/2 tsp white pepper. Pulse until a thick paste forms.
Taste the mixture before forming your skewers. Take a small piece and sear it in a pan, then taste for seasoning. Add more salt or fish sauce if it tastes bland.
Divide the shrimp paste into 8 equal pieces. Each piece should be ~70 grams. Prep 8 4-inch pieces of lemongrass.
Put on some gloves then oil your hands and the plate you will use for your prepped Chao Tom. This will prevent the shrimp skewers from sticking to your hands and the plate.
Take a piece of the shrimp paste and flatten it in your palm. Place a lemongrass stick in the center, ~1/2 inch from the top edge of the shrimp paste. Enclose the lemongrass with the shrimp paste. Place it on the prepped plate and repeat the process with the rest of the shrimp paste.
Heat 4 cups of avocado oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the shrimp skewers in batches for 5 minutes until golden brown.
Place shrimp skewers on some paper towels to absorb excess oil before serving.

Notes

For more tips and tricks, refer to the blog post.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
If you can find sugarcane, substitute the lemongrass sticks with sugarcane.

Nutrition