Sugarcane Shrimp, Chao Tom Hue
This chao tom recipe pounds raw shrimp with a little pork, garlic and fish sauce into a springy paste, moulds it onto sugarcane sticks and grills it until golden. It is served over rice vermicelli with scallion oil, crushed peanuts, pickles and nuoc cham for dipping. One serving is about 355 g.
Chao tom is one of Hue's most famous dishes, from the old imperial city in central Vietnam. Shrimp paste is pressed onto sticks of sugarcane — the cane perfumes the shrimp as it grills and gives you a handle to eat it with — and the dish is a fixture of Hue's markets and family meals, usually wrapped in rice paper with herbs or served over vermicelli.
Pairs well with: Rice vermicelli, pickled carrot and daikon, nuoc cham
Provenance
Vietnam
Hue Street Classic
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
40m
25m prep • 15m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
496 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 355 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Paste + Grill)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Hue Street Classic
Photo: SauceSupreme, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Medium — about $5–6 per serving at home (USD)
The paste is pounded until springy and grilled over medium heat, so the outside turns golden while the inside stays juicy.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Pound the Paste and Mix the Sauces
25 Mins • Pound + Mix
Pat the 500 g shrimp very dry, then pound or blitz them with the 80 g pork, 10 g garlic, 20 g spring onion whites, 10 g sugar, 15 g fish sauce, 2 g salt, 1 g white pepper, 10 g cornstarch and 5 g sesame oil until the paste is smooth, sticky and springy. While it chills, mix the nuoc cham from the 30 g fish sauce, 30 g lime juice, 15 g sugar, 60 ml water, 5 g garlic and 5 g chilli, and pickle the carrot and daikon in the 20 g rice vinegar with 8 g sugar. Cook the 200 g vermicelli and make the scallion oil by pouring hot oil over the 40 g sliced spring onions.
Maestro Tip: Dry shrimp and a cold bowl are the secret — a wet, warm paste will never turn springy.
10 Mins Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Pound the 500 g shrimp in a mortar, or blitz in short pulses in a food processor, until smooth. Add the 80 g pork, 10 g garlic, 20 g spring onion whites, 10 g sugar, 15 g fish sauce, 2 g salt, 1 g white pepper, 10 g cornstarch and 5 g sesame oil, and pound or pulse again until the paste is sticky and springs back when pressed. Chill for 15 minutes.
Stop while it is still slightly coarse — over-blitzed paste turns rubbery.
Done when: A smooth, sticky paste that holds its shape and springs back when pressed.
5 Mins Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Wet your hands, take a ball of paste about the size of a small egg, and press it around the top two-thirds of a sugarcane stick, shaping it into a smooth oval about 8 cm long. Repeat for all 8 sticks. The paste should be about 1.5 cm thick so it grills through evenly.
Wet hands stop the paste sticking to your fingers instead of the cane.
Done when: Eight smooth, even ovals of paste on the cane, no thin spots.
10 Mins Medium heat, about 180°C (350°F)
Grill the sticks over medium heat — a barbecue, a grill pan or the oven grill — turning every 2–3 minutes, for 8–10 minutes until the paste is golden brown outside and opaque white all the way through. Shrimp is safe at 63°C (145°F); the paste should feel firm and springy, not soft.
Medium heat, not high — the sugar in the paste burns fast on fierce heat.
Done when: Golden-brown outside, white and firm inside, smelling sweet and smoky.
5 Mins Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
While the sticks grill, cook the 200 g vermicelli per the packet, drain and divide between four bowls. Heat the 15 g vegetable oil until shimmering and pour it over the 40 g sliced spring onions to make scallion oil. Have the pickles, 30 g crushed peanuts and nuoc cham ready.
Rinse the cooked vermicelli in cold water so it does not clump.
Done when: Loose, cool vermicelli; sizzling scallion oil; pickles and sauce within reach.
5 Mins Serving temperature, about 60°C (140°F)
Lay two grilled sticks on each bowl of vermicelli, spoon over the scallion oil, scatter the pickles and crushed peanuts, and put the nuoc cham on the side for dipping and pouring. Eat by sliding the shrimp paste off the cane with chopsticks — the cane itself is not eaten.
Serve at once while the sticks are hot and the vermicelli is cool — the contrast is the point.
Done when: Hot golden sticks on cool noodles, peanuts and scallion oil on top, nuoc cham on the side.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the sticks hot over the cool vermicelli with the nuoc cham on the side, and slide the shrimp paste off the cane with chopsticks — the cane is a handle and a perfume, not food.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
496
kcal / serving
Protein
35g
Complete AA
Carbs
60g
Complex
Fats
14g
Healthy
| Energy | 496 kcal |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Carbohydrates | 60 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g |
| Sugar | 10.7 g |
| Sodium | 1135 mg |
| Energy | 140 kcal |
| Protein | 9.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16.9 g |
| Fat | 3.9 g |
| Fibre | 0.8 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Sodium | 320 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Provides vitamin B12 and selenium from the shrimp, vitamin C from the lime and pickles, and vitamin A from the carrot.
High in Protein
About 34.7 g of protein per serving from the shrimp and pork, so this is a filling lunch that keeps you going.
Grilled, Not Fried
Grilling the shrimp paste keeps the fat low — about 14 g per serving — while the sugarcane adds sweetness without extra sugar.
Fresh Herbs and Pickles
The pickled carrot and daikon, lime and fresh chilli bring vitamin C and crunch that balance the rich shrimp paste.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Vegetables
Fresh Herbs and Lettuce
Mint, coriander and lettuce are the classic fresh wrap for chao tom — they cool the grilled paste and add crunch.
Sides
Rice Paper Wraps
Softened rice paper lets you roll the shrimp paste with herbs and pickles into a hand-held parcel, the Hue way to eat it.
Soups
Light Vegetable Soup
A clear, light soup on the side keeps the meal balanced without doubling the richness of the shrimp paste.
Drinks
Iced Tea with Lime
Cold unsweetened tea with lime cuts through the sweet-savoury paste and the salty nuoc cham.
Complete menu
Serve two chao tom sticks per person over rice vermicelli with pickles and nuoc cham, plus a plate of fresh herbs and a light vegetable soup for a complete Hue-style lunch.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Eating the Sugarcane Stick
The cane is a skewer and a flavouring — it is tough, fibrous and not meant to be eaten. Slide the paste off with chopsticks. This is general food information, not medical advice.
Undercooked Shrimp Paste
The paste must be opaque white and firm all the way through — raw shrimp in the centre carries a food-safety risk. This is general food information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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Immunity & Warming
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Fresh rice paper rolls filled with poached prawns, tender pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, herbs and carrot, served with a peanut dipping sauce.
Light Digestion
Nothing is fried, so the rolls stay light and fresh — a cool, herb-filled snack for hot days.
Vietnam
1h 45m
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Comfort & Sustained Energy
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Vietnam
1h 10m
WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
