Tom Rim (Vietnamese King Prawns Sauteed with Tomato, Fish Sauce and Black Pepper)

I have to admit that I have very little knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese food was unheard of when I grew up in Malaysia. I vividly remember the buzz when the first Vietnamese restaurant opened for business in Penang back in the 90s. I wouldn't say it was authentic but it was the first time I tasted Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Pho.

I started to appreciate Vietnamese food after moving to Australia. The best experience was during our 3 months stay in Melbourne, 10 years ago. Mr J had a job that required him to travel extensively around the globe. We made a decision for me to quit my job so I could travel with him rather than living apart for most of the time. The first two years of our time in Sydney, we lived out of suitcases. Half of the time we were somewhere else than in Sydney. While we were in Melbourne, we stayed in a small boutique apartment in Little Collins Street, in the centre of Melbourne City. When Mr J was at work, I often wandered around, shopping, food hunting and got lost in the Melbourne city laneways.

At that time, I was a big fan of Chua Lam (蔡瀾), a Singapore born Hong Kong foodie, food critic, travel and food writer. He is a big fan of Pho and Vietnamese food. Equipped with his books, I hopped on to the tram, went to the Victoria street in Richmond, and headed to the '勇记' restaurant that he recommended. I had my first 'real' taste of Pho and started my love affair with Vietnamese food.

What makes Vietnamese cuisine so special is that Vietnam is the only Asian country that has been colonised by France. Just imagine the best of the West marrying to the East and creating a perfect baby. This is the uniqueness in Vietnamese cooking that you don't see in other Asian cooking. A very good example is how the Vietnamese took the French baguette and turned it to their own - Bánh Mì.

If you like Singapore Chilli Prawn / Crab, you will love this Vietnamese prawn dish. They are different but both lead to the same taste sensations of spiciness, sweetness and saltiness. It's so moreish that it will make you want to drizzle the sauce over bowls and bowls of steaming hot jasmine rice. And I am happy to have it just like that!

Tom Rim (Vietnamese King Prawns Sauteed with Tomato, Fish Sauce and Black Pepper) Recipe
(Adapted from Luke Nguyen's Secrets of The Red Lantern)
Serves 4

Luke Nguyen - "Mum used to cook this dish at Pho Cay Du. I remember getting excited every time a customer ordered it - it was the most expensive dish on the menu. Mum would send me across to the fresh fish markets to look for the biggest and freshest jumbo king prawns (shrimp) or scampi that I could find.

I always thought to myself, why don't they just keep a few in the fridge in case we get an order? Sometimes the customer was left waiting for over 20 minutes while I scoured the streets. As I learned later on, the customer never minded waiting as the prawns were so fresh and the flavours so good. The aroma of the sauteed prawns with the tomato has been implanted in my memory. Every time we cook this dish at Red Lantern, I think of the times at Pho Cay Du."

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 bird's eye chillies, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
12 jumbo king prawns (shrimp), peeled, deveined, with tails intact
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp crack black pepper
4 tbsp fish sauce
185 ml (6 fl oz / 3/4 cup) fish stock or water
1/2 very ripe tomato, diced
1 spring onion (scallion), finely sliced
2 small handful coriander (cilantro) leaves

Method

1. Add the oil, garlic and chilli to a wok over medium heat and stir until fragrant and not coloured. Add the tomato paste, prawns and sugar. Toss to combine, then add the pepper, fish sauce, fish stock or water and diced tomato.
2. Increase the heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked through. Remove the prawns to a serving platter, then reduce the sauce slightly and pour over the prawns. Garnish with the spring onion and coriander.

This is my contribution to the Delicious Vietnam, a monthly blogging event celebrating Vietnamese cuisine created by Anh of A Food Lovers Journey and Hong & Kim of Ravenous Couple.