Bun tron xi dau tom cha lap xuong gathers a lot onto one plate: rice vermicelli, shrimp, fried cha lua, Chinese sausage and fresh greens. Managing the frying pan is the challenge, since each item cooks a different way.
The Chinese sausage is cooked first with 2 tablespoons of water, and only once that water has gone does it get stirred dry until the skin turns golden and crisp. Spoon most of the oil from frying the cha lua out before the sausage goes in, and the plate stays light.
This batch weighs about 4.8kg, at roughly 138 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse the 8 pieces of tofu, drain and cut them into bite sized pieces. Cut 200g cha lua about a third of a finger joint thick. Pick over the greens, peel the 2 cucumbers partly, and rinse them with 100g bean sprouts, then drain. Slice the cucumber thinly and cut the greens small.
Bring a pot of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt, blanch 400g shrimp for 3 to 5 minutes and lift them out. Once cool, pull off the heads and shells and remove the veins.
Pour 150ml cooking oil into a pan, enough to cover the tofu. When the oil is hot, fry the tofu over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes a side until golden and crisp, then drain on paper towels.
Fry the cha lua for 5 to 7 minutes until golden all over, then lift it out.
Spoon all the oil out of the pan, add 2 tablespoons water, lower the heat and cook 150g Chinese sausage for about 5 minutes. Once the water has gone, stir constantly until the skin is golden and crisp, then cool and cut into long strips.
Mix the dressing with 100ml water, 3 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 4 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons minced garlic and chili, stirring until dissolved.
Arrange the rice vermicelli, bean sprouts, tofu, shrimp, cha lua, Chinese sausage, greens, cucumber, 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts and 1 tablespoon fried shallots on a platter, pour over the dressing and toss.
Tips
Cooking the Chinese sausage with a little water first and then stirring it dry gives crisp skin without scorching.
Spooning most of the frying oil out before the sausage goes in keeps the plate from turning heavy.
Taste the dressing after 5 minutes before deciding what to add.
Three to five minutes is enough for the shrimp, since a longer blanch leaves the meat mealy.
Five to seven minutes a side over medium heat gives tofu that is golden and crisp all over.
Pour the dressing on right before eating, because an early dressing turns the noodles soggy.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.