Barbecued Shrimp Paste On Sugar Cane (chao Tom)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

The allied recipes for this rather complex operation follow in the
next post. Although this dish can be baked in an oven, I strongly
suggest you grill it over charcoal, for the result is far superior.
The dish may be prepared over 2 consecutive days.  On day one,  prepare
the dipping sauce and condiments.  The Vegetable Platter and  shrimp
paste can be assembled the following day. Fresh sugar cane may  be
obtained at Caribbean markets; canned sugar cane is available at  Asian
grocery stores. Prepare the roasted rice powder, scallion oil,
crisp-fried shallots and roasted peanuts. Set aside. Shell and devein
the shrimp. Sprinkle the salt over the shrimp and let stand for 20
minutes.  Rinse the shrimp thoroughly with cold water. Drain and
squeeze between your hands to remove excess water. Dry thoroughly  with
paper towels.  Coarsely chop the shrimp. Boil the pork fat for  10
minutes.  Drain and finely dice. In a food processor, combine the
shrimp, garlic, shallots and sugar. Process until the shrimp paste
pulls away from the sides of the container, stopping as necessary to
scrape down the sides. The paste should be very fine and sticky. Add
the pork fat, roasted rice powder, fish sauce and black pepper to
taste to the processor. Pulse briefly, only enough to blend all of  the
ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. Meanwhile, prepare the Peanut
Sauce and Vegetable Platter. Cover the rice papers with a damp towel
and a sheet of plastic wrap; keep at room temperature until needed.
Peel the fresh sugar cane; cut crosswise into 4-inch sections. Split
each section lengthwise into quarters. (if using canned sugar cane,
split each section lengthwise in half only, then thread 2 pieces
lengthwise onto a skewer.) Pour about 1/4 cup of oil into a small
bowl. Oil your fingers. Pick up and mold about 2 tablespoons of the
shrimp paste around and halfway down a piece of fresh sugar cane.
Leave about 1 1/2 inches of the sugar cane exposed to serve as a
handle. (If using canned sugar cane, there is no need to leave a
handle. The skewers will serve as handles.) Press firmly so that the
paste adheres to the cane. Proceed until you have used all the shrimp
paste. Prepare a charcoal grill or preheat the oven to broil.
Meanwhile, steam the noodles, then garnish with the scallion oil,
crisp-fried shallots and ground roasted peanuts. Keep warm.  Pour the
peanut sauce into individual bowls and place the Vegetable Platter  and
rice papers on the table. Grill the shrimp paste on the sugar  cane
over medium coals, turning frequently. Or Broil, on a baking  sheet
lined with foil, under the broiler, about 6 inches from the  heat, for
3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer to a  warm platter.
To serve, each diner dips a rice paper round in a bowl  of warm water
to make it pliable, then places the paper on a dinner  plate. Different
ingredients from the Vegetable Platter, some noodles  and a piece of
the shrimp paste, which has been removed from the  sugar cane, are
added. The rice paper is then roiled up to form a  neat package. The
roll is dipped in the Peanut Sauce and eaten out of  hand. The
remaining sugar cane may be chewed. Note: If both types of  sugar cane
are unavailable, use skewers. Shape the shrimp paste into  meatballs
and thread 3 or 4 on each skewer. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.  From "The
Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart, Tabori &  Chang. 1989.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; May 24 1993.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 3216
Calories From Fat: 963
Total Fat: 107.3g
Cholesterol: 150.5mg
Sodium: 8912mg
Potassium: 8703.8mg
Carbohydrates: 498.3g
Fiber: 79.2g
Sugar: 200.5g
Protein: 98.4g