How to Make Vietnamese Fermented Shrimp Paste with Pork
In just 10 to 15 minutes, you can complete this delicious and flavorful fermented shrimp paste with pork by following the method shared by Cookbeo in this article. This is an excellent suggestion for those who are busy and don’t have much time but still want to quickly cook a savory dish for a family meal.
Ingredients
- 300g pork
- Fermented shrimp paste
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 4-5 shallots, 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1-2 hot chili peppers
- Seasoning: MSG, sugar, ground pepper, caramelized sugar syrup or annatto oil
Ingredient Notes
In addition to shallots, you can use galangal to enhance the flavor of the fermented shrimp paste with pork. Additionally, you can choose to use garlic depending on your preference. In this recipe, Cookbeo uses readily available ingredients, and the flavor is still very delicious, so you can refer to it and adjust as needed.
With this method, Cookbeo uses caramelized sugar syrup to reduce the intense saltiness of the fermented shrimp paste while giving the pork a beautiful reddish-brown color. Besides caramelized sugar syrup, you can also use annatto oil for a similar coloring effect.
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
Rub the pork with salt and rinse thoroughly, then grind it finely. It’s best to choose shoulder or belly cuts, which have both lean and fat portions, giving the dish a rich flavor and preventing it from being dry. You can also add some cartilage for a crunchy texture, which is very appealing.
Mince the shallots, garlic, and lemongrass finely. The lemongrass should be chopped very finely to avoid any tough and gritty texture when eating. You can also use a food processor to finely chop these ingredients.
If using fresh chili, wash and chop it finely.
Cook the Fermented Shrimp Paste with Pork
Add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a pan or small pot. Once the oil is hot, add 2/3 of the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chili, and sauté until fragrant. At this stage, if you’re using annatto oil for coloring, add about 2 tablespoons of red annatto oil.
Next, add the pork and stir well. To prevent the meat from sticking and burning, start cooking at a low temperature, then gradually increase the heat slightly.
Cook until the meat is firm, then add the fermented shrimp paste to simmer. For 300g of pork, use about 4.5 tablespoons of fermented shrimp paste. Stir well, and when the mixture starts to simmer, add 2 tablespoons of caramelized sugar syrup, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2-1 tablespoon of MSG.
Depending on the brand, the fermented shrimp paste may have different levels of saltiness and intensity. Therefore, adjust the seasoning to suit your taste.
After seasoning, cook for another 5 minutes over low heat to allow the pork to absorb the flavors. Then add the remaining shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chili, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Adding these ingredients at the end enhances the dish's aroma.
Tips & Notes
- A useful tip that Cookbeo would like to share when making fermented shrimp paste with pork is that you can use oil to fry shallots, which will enhance the flavor of this dish. You can buy this type of oil from vendors who sell sticky rice. Then, heat the oil in a pot, fry some shallots, and proceed as usual.
- Fermented shrimp paste with pork is perfect to cook and enjoy in the winter when the weather is chilly. Eating a spoonful of hot rice with the savory pork and shrimp paste is very satisfying. This dish pairs well with cucumber, pickled vegetables, or boiled greens, making it a perfect rice accompaniment.
- The longer you cook fermented shrimp paste with pork, the richer the flavor becomes. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it can last for a long time. Each time you eat, just take a portion and reheat it to enjoy with rice.
