Vietnamese spicy shrimp in tamarind sauce

I was looking for a simple pan-sautéed prawn dish that I could serve as a small bite to a friend who was dropping by. Looking through my library, I decided to try this dish, and it was a hit!

I could not find large or jumbo shrimp, so I had to make do with medium-sized shrimp. The dish is super simple to cook—literally 10 minutes—so it is a dish you could cook up in a hurry.

The dish highlights the simplicity and beauty of Vietnamese flavours. The shrimp are coated heavily in a sour tamarind sauce and pop with the heat from Sriracha sauce. Make sure you keep the balance between the sour tamarind and the spice; you do not want one overpowering the other. Loads of cilantro garnish act as a nice foil for the flavours.

This cookbook is one of many Vietnamese cookbooks on my shelf. I have been pulling it out ever so often to read and have cooked very little from it. However, the recipes that I have tried are simple but amazing. Andrea Nguyen fled Vietnam with her family and her mother's recipe cookbook and settled in Southern California. She started her career in banking, but her obsession with great Vietnamese cooking transformed her into an author, restaurant reviewer, chef and cookbook writer. This book is part a collection of recipes and part culinary history entwined with culture. This book has won numerous awards, but most of all is a fun book to have and to cook from.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons tamarind paste

A few drops of fish sauce

2-3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

For the shrimp:

2 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 lb large or jumbo shrimp

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Cilantro, minced, for garnish

Mix all the ingredients to make the sauce. Let it sit for 30 minutes, and taste for spice, sour, and sweet. The flavours should be beautifully balanced, with the predominant flavour being sour. Adjust as needed.

Heat the oil in a wok until hot. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant but not coloured. Add the shrimp and cook until they just start turning pink, about 1 minute. The shrimp may release water, but that is okay.

Add the sauce and toss the shrimp well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes till the sauce has dried out and the shrimp are coated with the liquids.

Serve immediately in a wide bowl or plate garnished with cilantro.