Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 lb Raw shrimp in the shell
1 tb Salt
2 oz Pork fat (opt)
6 Garlic cloves, crushed
6 Shallots, crushed
1 tb Granulated sugar
4 ts Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish
-sauce)
Freshly ground black pepper
-to taste

------------------------TO ASSEMBLE-----------------------------
Peanut Sauce
Vegetable Platter
8 oz Rice paper pancakes, 6 1/2"
-(banh trang)
1 Piece sugar cane, 12"
-OR
1 cn Sugar cane packed in light
-syrup (12 oz), and
12 Bamboo skewers, 8 1/2",
-soaked in water 30 min.
Vegetable oil, for shaping
-shrimp paste
8 oz Extra-thin rice vermicelli
-(banh hoi)
1 tb Roasted peanuts, ground

Adapted from "The Foods of Vietnam," by Nicole Routhier (Stewart,
Tabori Chang, 1989): This dish is a classic Vietnamese specialty
prepared for elegant occasions. The sugar cane used as skewers to
grill the shrimp paste makes this dish unique, as the sweetness from
the cane permeates the food. The dish may be prepared over two
consecutive days. On day one, prepare the dipping sauce and
condiments. The vegetable platter and shrimp paste can be assembled
the following day. Traditionally, this dish is rolled together in a
rice pancake with vegetables and noodles and dipped in peanut sauce.
Fresh sugar cane, occasionally available at area markets, may be
obtained at Caribbean markets; canned sugar cane is available at
Asian grocery stores.

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; set aside.

Boil the pork fat, if using, for 10 minutes. Drain and finely dice.

In a food processor, combine the shrimp with the 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, fish sauce and black pepper to taste to the mixture
in the processor. Pulse briefly, only enough to blend all of the
ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Meanwhile, prepare the Peanut Sauce and Vegetable Platter as directed
in the following recipes.

To assemble: 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 in 4" 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 vegetable oil into a small bowl. Oil your
fingers. Pick up about 2 tablespoons of the shrimp paste and mold it
around, and halfway down, a piece of fresh sugar cane. Leave about 1
1/2" 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. Set aside on
a platter until ready to grill.

Prepare a charcoal grill.

Meanwhile, steam the vermicelli noodles, then garnish with 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, for about 8 minutes. Transfer to a warm platter.

To serve, each diner dips a rice paper round in a large shallow bowl
of warm water for about 5 seconds to make the rice paper pliable,
then places the paper on a dinner plate. Then each person adds
different ingredients from the Vegetable Platter, some noodles and a
piece of the shrimp paste, which has been removed from the sugar
cane. The rice paper is then rolled 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.

Per serving: 536 calories, 20 grams protein, 84 grams carbohydrates,
12 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 188 milligrams cholesterol, 1653
milligrams sodium.
Submitted By MICHAEL ORCHEKOWSKI On 08-07-95

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