Name: Vietnamese Shrimp in Roe Sauce (Tom Kho Tau Gach Do)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 2 lbs prawns/large shrimp with heads (about 30); 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder or mushroom seasoning powder; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 3 tablespoons fish sauce; 4 green onions/scallions (slice; separate whites and greens); 4 garlic cloves (peel and mince); 2 shallots (peel and mince); 2 tablespoons annatto oil (can substitute with neutral oil); 1/4 cup coconut soda (can substitute with water); 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Description

A delicious traditional home-cooked recipe with large shrimp or prawns. It’s a sweet and savory dish that pairs wonderfully with steamed rice. The best part of this dish is that everything, from start to finish, takes about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 lbs prawns/large shrimp with heads (about 30)
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder or mushroom seasoning powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
4 green onions/scallions (slice; separate whites and greens)
4 garlic cloves (peel and mince)
2 shallots (peel and mince)
2 tablespoons annatto oil (can substitute with neutral oil)
1/4 cup coconut soda (can substitute with water)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

Prepare the prawn/shrimp: Peel the body of the prawns or large shrimp and devein. Trim off the pointy spear at the top of the head, and clip off the eyes, whiskers, and little legs along the underside of the prawn. I like to keep the tail and head; however, you can remove both the heads and tails if preferred. If removing heads, scoop out the head fat and transfer it to a small bowl.
Marinate the prawns with bouillon powder, sugar, fish sauce, the whites of the scallions, half of the minced garlic, and half of the minced shallot. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Pan fry aromatics: In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil on medium-high. Add the remaining shallot and garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds).
Add the marinated prawns and all their liquid. Add water or coconut soda and use a spoon to press down on the head to release the head fat into the sauce. If not using heads, simply add the head fat here and mix it into the sauce. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook the prawns until they turn opaque and pink (about 5 minutes).
Finish: Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the reserved green part of the scallions and ground black pepper. Serve with steamed rice for a complete meal.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Category: side dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: asian, vietnamese