Tom rang me sounds simple and still falls flat easily. The shrimp have to stay sweet, and the tamarind sauce has to be brightly sour and cling to every shrimp. The hardest part is thickening the sauce at the exact moment the shrimp are just cooked, since a little longer turns them rubbery.
The prep decides the dish. Only the legs and the shell at the head and tail come off, while the shell along the back stays on. That shell keeps the flesh from shrinking and holds its sweetness through the simmer.
This batch weighs about 871g, at roughly 85 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 500g shrimp 2 to 3 times, remove the legs and the shell at the head and tail, keep the shell along the back, pull out the vein, and drain.
Put 50g ripe tamarind in a bowl with 100ml boiling water, mash it, then strain out the pulp and seeds.
Pound 4 chilies with 4 garlic cloves.
Set a pan over low heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil, and fry the garlic and chili. Once the garlic turns golden, add 1/2 bowl water, 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon MSG, 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and the tamarind liquid.
Stir until everything dissolves, cook until the sauce boils, then taste and adjust.
Add the shrimp, lower the heat, and turn them so both sides cook evenly.
Keep simmering until the sauce thickens and coats the shrimp, then turn off the stove.
Tips
Leaving the shell along the back keeps the flesh from shrinking and holds its sweetness.
Lower the heat for the simmer, since a slowly thickening sauce keeps the shrimp tender.
Strain the tamarind paste through a sieve twice, as leftover fibers stop the sauce from coating the shrimp smoothly.
Mash the tamarind in water at a full boil, which draws out all the pulp and leaves no grit.
If the sauce reduces too far, add two spoons of water and stir quickly so it coats again.
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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.