Welcome back to another episode of Meal Preps, But Vietnamese, where I show you how to make some of my favorite Vietnamese recipes with some healthier changes to help you get a little bit closer to your health and fitness goals. Now, if you’re looking for a flavorful, low-calorie meal prep that doesn’t sacrifice taste, this one’s for you. Today, we’re adapting one of my favorite ways to enjoy shrimp — Tom Nuong / Grilled Shrimp. This recipe delivers incredibly juicy shrimp thanks to a well-balanced marinade; then, it’s grilled to perfection for a charred and smoky finish. Plus, with a few smart swaps, we’ll make it more calorie-friendly, so the whole meal comes in at just 363 calories per serving!
What is Tom Nuong?
Tom nuong is a classic Vietnamese dish featuring shrimp marinated in a flavorful mix of aromatics, fish sauce, and a touch of sweetness, then grilled to perfection. The marinade typically includes garlic, green onions, fish sauce, jalapenos, sugar, and oil to create a balance of umami, sweetness, and caramelization. For this meal prep version, we’re making a few simple swaps:
- Refined sugar → Honey (or your preferred sweetener): This keeps the natural sweetness while making the dish slightly more wholesome.
- Reducing oil & replacing part with water: This keeps the shrimp juicy while cutting unnecessary calories.
- Skewering the shrimp: This helps with portioning, making meal prepping much easier!
By making these small changes, we keep all the flavor but make it a bit more macro-friendly for meal prep!
Cauliflower Rice
We’re pairing the shrimp with riced cauliflower to keep the calorie count low while still keeping things satisfying. Now, I’ll be honest—I can’t completely cut out white rice (and I don’t want to!). That’s why I like to do a 1:1 ratio of cooked white rice to riced cauliflower.
Why this works:
- Cuts down carbs without sacrificing texture – You still get the fluffiness of rice but with added fiber and volume from the cauliflower.
- Adds extra nutrients – Cauliflower is rich in vitamins C and K, plus it’s great for digestion.
- Helps with meal satisfaction – You won’t feel like you’re missing out by just eating plain cauliflower rice!
- On a different note, if you’re looking to sneak in some extra vegetables for picky eaters, mix rice with cauliflower rice at a 2:1 ratio, to more seamlessly blend the two.
Simply cook your white rice as usual, then mix in sautéed riced cauliflower. It blends seamlessly and makes for a perfect meal-prep base.
Macro Breakdown
Total Macros for the Entire Recipe:
- Calories: 1,815
- Protein: 98g
- Carbs: 289g
- Fat: 35g
Macros Per Serving: (Divided by 5):
- Calories: 363
- Protein: 20g
- Carbs: 58g
- Fat: 7g
Meal Prep – Tom Nuong / Grilled Shrimp
5
servings30
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- Shrimp/Tom Nuong:
2 lbs 2 Jumbo Shrimp (40)
4 4 Stalks Green Onion (White Parts Only)
1 1 Jalapeno
2 2 Thai Chili
1 tbsp 1 Minced Garlic
2 tbsp 2 Fish Sauce
2 tbsp 2 Honey
1 tbsp 1 Olive Oil
1 tbsp 1 Water
Salt and Pepper
- Cauliflower Rice:
32 oz 32 Cauliflower
1 tbsp 1 Oil
1 tbsp 1 Minced Garlic
4 cups 4 Cooked White Jasmine Rice
Salt
- Garnishes:
Green Onion (Green Part)
Directions
- Shrimp:
- Soak 8″ skewers in room temperature tap water, so that they don’t burn on the grill. Set skewers aside
- Devein and peel shrimp, leaving the tail section on. Add shrimp to a mixing bowl, then make the marinade
- To a food processor, combine the white parts of green onions, a jalapeño, Thai chilis, minced garlic, fish sauce, honey, olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth
- Pour marinade over shrimp, mix well and let the shrimp marinate in the fridge for at least an hour
- Skewer shrimp, adding four shrimp to each skewer
- To grill shrimp, turn the grill on to it’s highest heat setting, roughly between 400-450F. Grill shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side, ensuring shrimp are cooked through, and are slightly charred
- Cauliflower Rice:
- Remove the stem of the cauliflower and cut into smaller pieces. Add cauliflower to a food processor, pulse several times and blend until cauliflower is roughly the same size as grains of rice
- To a pan on medium-high heat, add a splash of oil, and satué minced garlic until fragrant. Add in riced cauliflower and continue to cook for a 1-2 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt to help the cauliflower release some of its moisture, and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Combine sautéed cauliflower with equal parts cooked white jasmine rice, and mix well
- Serve:
- Divide cauliflower rice into five equal portions, and top with two shrimp skewers each. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!
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This tasted amazing!! To enhance the flavor, i added minced lemongrass. 100x better!! Thank you for this recipe. Im Vietnamese and i am trying to lose weight before the summer. I will be trying your other recipes soon. Thank you!