Vietnamese cuisine is renowned for its fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and beautiful presentations. One dish that exemplifies these qualities is Bánh Hỏi Chạo Tôm—a delightful combination of deep-fried shrimp paste on sugarcane and delicate fine woven rice vermicelli sheets. This dish is meant to be served family-style and does a phenomenal job of bringing friends and family together to enjoy food fun and interactively! Learn how to make banh hoi chao tom step by step with this recipe!
What is Banh Hoi Chao Tom?
Banh Hoi Chao Tom is a traditional Vietnamese dish that contains these essential components:
Banh Hoi: Fine rice vermicelli sheets intricately woven into thin, lacy bundles. These delicate noodles are typically brushed with scallion oil, giving them a fragrant aroma and subtle taste. Dried sheets of fine-woven vermicelli noodles are readily accessible at most Asian grocery stores.
Chao Tom: Fried shrimp paste molded onto a stick of sugarcane. The shrimp paste is blended with pork fat to produce a springy texture and seasoned with garlic, fish sauce, and other aromatic spices before being fried to golden perfection. The sugarcane imparts a subtle sweetness to the shrimp, creating a harmonious blend of flavors.
Fresh Herbs and Vegetables: Provide a selection of fresh herbs like mint, basil, and cilantro, along with crisp lettuce leaves, cucumber slices, and pickled vegetables. These add freshness and crunch to the dish.
Dipping Sauce: A critical component of Banh Hoi Chao Tom is the dipping sauce. The most common dipping sauce for Banh Hoi is nuoc cham, a tangy, slightly sweet sauce made from fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili. It perfectly complements the flavors of the dish.
How to Serve Banh Hoi Chao Tom
Wrap it Up: To eat Banh Hoi Chao Tom, you typically take a piece of the shrimp paste (Chao Tom) and wrap it in a sheet of Banh Hoi and lettuce as a hand warp. Fresh herbs like mint, basil, and cilantro are often added, along with crunchy slices of cucumber and pickled carrots. Wrap everything up in a piece of green leaf lettuce for a perfect bite-sized roll.
Alternatively, you could also treat rice paper like a spring roll!
Put it in a Bowl: Often, I feel a bit lazy making several hand wraps or rolls, so I layer all the same ingredients into a bowl and eat like I would a vermicelli bowl!
The Cultural Significance of Banh Hoi Chao Tom
Originating from the southern regions of Vietnam, particularly the Mekong Delta, Banh Hoi Chao Tom is a dish deeply rooted in Vietnamese culinary traditions. The Mekong Delta, known for its abundant seafood and fertile land, has inspired countless dishes that showcase the region’s natural bounty. Banh Hoi Chao Tom is often served at celebrations and special occasions, symbolizing prosperity and sharing good fortune.
Sugarcane Shrimp with Fine Woven Vermicelli Noodles / Banh Hoi Chao Tom
4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
- Chao Tom (Sugarcane Shrimp):
20 oz 20 Canned Sugarcane
Oil (For Frying)
2 lbs 2 Peeled Shrimp
1/2 lbs 1/2 Pork Fat
3 3 stalks Green Onion (White Part Only)
2 tbsp 2 Minced Garlic
2 2 Egg Whites
1 tbsp 1 Fish Sauce
1 tsp 1 Sugar
1/2 tsp 1/2 Salt
1/2 tsp 1/2 White Pepper
2 tbsp 2 Cornstarch
- Fine Woven Vermicelli Noodles:
12 oz 12 Fine Woven Rice Vermicelli
- Accompaniments:
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Mint
Cilantro
Pickled Veggies
Nuoc Cham
Directions
- Chao Tom (Sugarcane Shrimp):
- Blend small pieces of pork fat in a food processor until it becomes a paste. Add cleaned and peeled shrimp, chopped green onions (whites only), minced garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper, egg white, and cornstarch. Process until smooth. Let the shrimp paste settle in the fridge for at least half an hour
- Drain sugarcane and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut sugarcane into quarters lengthwise
- To form the Chao Tom, apply plenty of oil to your hands to prevent shrimp paste from sticking. Add a spoonful of the shrimp paste to the middle of your palm, add a piece of sugarcane, wrap the shrimp paste around, and roll in your palm until the exterior is smooth
- Heat oil to 350F, and deep fry for 3-5minutes or until the chao tom is cooked through and golden brown
- Banh Hoi (Fine Woven Vermicelli):
- Bring up a big pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a pinch of salt and a splash of oil
- Drop in sheets of fine woven vermicelli noodles and cook for 1 minute
- Drain vermicelli noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process
- Lay single layers of sheets of vermicelli noodles on a plate or container and brush with scallion oil. Stack noodles, and continue to brush oil in between layers to prevent the sheets from sticking together
- Serve:
- Arrange fresh vegetables, noodles, and sugar cane shrimp, along with nuoc cham, on a platter
- To enjoy, make a lettuce wrap with your choice of toppings!
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