About
the land reclamation process of the Southern Region, writer Son Nam wrote, “Our
country’s land reclamation process by inelegant farmers is very special: slow
and gentle.” Therefore, their way of living is also tolerant like the immense
rivers there. A native of the Mekong Delta, Chef Tran Minh Dung creates Black
Tiger Prawns Wrapped in Pork Belly, a dish bearing the special feature of the
Southern Delta Region: the prawns are taken out of the shrimp pond, peeled,
marinated with some garlic and red pepper, wrapped in long, thin pieces of pork
belly and grilled over red hot coals. When the fat is rendered out and the
wraps are golden-brown around the edges, wrap the “banh hoi” round the sauté
pork belly and prawn, then dip into the sour, sweet, and salty dipping sauce;
with this you will have an emotional experience like hearing a lullaby echoing
over the river.
Black tiger prawns wrapped in pork belly
INGREDIENTS
Main ingredients
200g
smoked pork belly
300g
raw black tiger prawns (25-30 prawn/kg)
10g
shallots
10g
garlic
5g
sugar
0.5g
ground black pepper
Ingredients for the
dipping sauce
30ml
fish sauce
20ml
boiled water set to cool
20g
sugar
4ml
lime extract
10g
minced garlic
2g
minced red chili
Accompanying
ingredients
Bánh
hỏi: 200g
PROCESS
Preparation: Peel the black tiger prawns,
leaving the last tail segment on for looks; de-vein by making a shallow slit
down the middle of the back to expose the black intestine.
Lift
out the black vein with the point of a paring knife and thoroughly clean them
then drain them in a colander. Mince the shallot and garlic. Halve the pork
belly horizontally.
Processing: Marinate the prawns with minced
shallot and garlic, 5g of sugar, 0.5g of ground pepper, and let them soak in
the spices. Put a prawn on a slice of pork belly and wrap it up. Continue to
wrap until the last one. Warm the frying pan over medium-high heat for a few
minutes. Sauté each of the wraps until all of them are golden brown.
Make the dipping
sauce: In a large
bowl, pour 30ml fish sauce, 20ml boiled water set to cool, add 20g sugar, and
stir constantly, then stir in the minced garlic, chili and 4ml lime extract.
PRESENTATION
Put
the prawns on a plate, serve with “banh hoi” and sweet-and-sour fish sauce.
QUALITY
CHECK
The
pork belly is crispy and golden-brown, the prawn meat is chewy; the dish is
aromatic with the salty taste of the smoked pork belly in harmony with the
naturally sweet taste of the prawns.
TIPS
Prawn
wraps may be roasted over coals, and served as an appetizer with mayonnaise.
EFFECTS OF
THIS DISH
This
dish is good for those who have asthenic body syndrome, a weakened immune
system, nervous system problems, anemia, fatigue, lack of energy, irregular
periods, postpartum women who are unable to produce enough breast milk,
children with loss of appetite,
underweight children, men with erectile dysfunction, backache, and
osteoporosis.
Author: TRAN MINH DUNG
Song
Tra Hotel (Dong Thap Province)
Runner-up
in the Southern regional semifinal round of the Golden Spoon Awards 2013