Grilled Shrimp on Sugarcane (Chạo Tôm)
Chạo tôm Say it: chow TOHM
A favourite appetizer from Huế: a springy paste of pounded shrimp wrapped around a stick of sugarcane and grilled until smoky and lightly charred. As it cooks, the cane sweetens the shrimp from the inside and its juices bubble at the edges. You wrap the hot shrimp in rice paper with herbs and vermicelli and dip it in a sharp garlic-chilli fish sauce — sweet, savoury, smoky and fresh all at once. It is street food, party food and home food in central Vietnam.
Grilled Shrimp on Sugarcane (Chạo Tôm)
Chạo tôm
Pronounced chow TOHM
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains shellfish, fish, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Shrimp paste
To serve
Dipping sauce (nước chấm)
Method
Soak the sugarcane sticks in cold water for 15 minutes so they do not scorch, then drain and pat them dry.
Chop the shrimp roughly, then pound it in a mortar or pulse it in a food processor to a coarse, sticky paste — stop before it becomes a smooth purée.
In a bowl, mix the shrimp with the shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, egg white and tapioca starch. Stir and slap the mixture against the bowl for 2–3 minutes, until it looks glossy and holds together, then chill for 20 minutes.
With damp hands, divide the paste into 8 portions and mould each one around a sugarcane stick, leaving about 2 in (5 cm) of cane bare at one end as a handle. The shrimp layer should be about ½ in (1.5 cm) thick.
Heat a charcoal grill or a griddle pan to medium-high. Brush the shrimp with oil and grill for 4–6 minutes, turning every minute or so, until the paste turns opaque pink, feels firm and picks up dark charred spots.
Meanwhile, whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and warm water until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the garlic and chilli.
Arrange the rice paper, bánh hỏi, herbs and dipping sauce on the table. Slide the hot shrimp off the cane or leave it on as a handle, wrap it with noodles and herbs, and dip generously.
Regional variants
In southern Vietnam the skewers are often served over bánh hỏi brushed with scallion oil, and some cooks work a little minced pork fat into the paste for richness. A home-style version skips the cane and shapes the paste into small patties, pan-fried instead of grilled.
Cook's notes
- Keep everything cold: chill the paste and wet your hands with cold water so it does not stick while you mould it.
- Do not grill past the point where the shrimp feels springy-firm — overcooking makes it rubbery and the cane burns.
- If you cannot find sugarcane, wrap the paste around thick lemongrass stalks and grill the same way.
Serve with
Rice paper, herbs, bánh hỏi or vermicelli, and nước chấm; a light beer or iced tea alongside.
Make ahead and storage
The shrimp paste can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge; formed sticks freeze well for up to a month and grill straight from frozen, adding a few minutes.
