Chao Tom

I got this recipe from Cook Like a Local, but I think that this is a traditional Vietnamese dish (making me think ever more that I need to go there sometime when they let us back in), but this version is very good.  I made it on a weeknight, so even though it seems like it has a number of steps, it does comes together quickly.

Shrimp paste:
2 pound medium shrimp
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 teaspoons  brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tsp.  fish sauce
2 large egg whites, beaten
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot shallot
2 tablespoon butter or oil

Coarsely chop the shrimp, then put them in a bowl. Add a generous 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the cornstarch, sugar, pepper, fish sauce, egg, garlic, and shallot. Transfer to a food processor and process just until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the pork fatback, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes. The mixture will stiffen as it sits.

Prepare 12 3-inch sticks of sugar cane (We thought you could skip this, and just do them without).
Line a steamer tray with parchment paper and oil the parchment. Ready a pot of water for steaming.

Have a bowl of water near where you’re working, along with the shrimp paste and sugarcane sticks. Wet one hand, then use the free hand to put ~1/4 c. of paste in the palm of your hand, spreading it out into circle about 2 1/2 inches wide and a good 1/4 inch thick. Center a sugarcane stick atop the paste (the ends of the stick will not be covered), then close your hand to make the paste adhere to the stick and surround it. Or make the ball, and poke the stick through it.  Hold on to the sugarcane stick with your dry hand and turn the stick, all the while patting the paste with the wet hand to smooth out the surface. Set on the prepared steamer tray. Repeat to make 11 more. Put overflow sticks on a plate. 

Steam the shrimp sticks over boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, until opaque, slightly puffed, and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool. The shrimp sticks can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Then you can heat 2 c. of oil to 350 and fry them, or do them on the grill.
Serve with Nuoc Cham.