FRIED RIVER SHRIMP CAKE

Small river shrimps are usually chosen for the dish. They are small in size, green or white, with thin soft shells, but their meat is very sweet and fragrant. The best of their kind is found in the flood season. They live on moss and are referred to as ‘tiny shrimps’. This word is used to describe unimportant people of low social status. They are also called ‘field shrimps’ since they live mostly in the field. In some Northern and Central provinces, they are called ‘rice or corn shrimps’, and in the South ‘larvae/mosquito/moss/husk shrimps’. These names vary according to their origins and features. From around August until the end of November, natural products from the rivers and fields in the Southern region are countless such as fish, crabs, snakes, snails and shrimps. They are therefore sold in large number at the market. Today prices are quite high, properly 12-15 thousands VND per 100 gram. My mother used to buy these shrimps and cook them. She would mix rice flour with fine flour, a chicken egg, and spices and pour all the shrimps inside to mix well. Prepare a hot oil pan, wait for the oil to boil, next use a spoon to scoop up the shrimp with the flour and drop it into boiling oil. For about two to three minutes, as the shrimp turns yellow, it is taken out onto a tray and left there to drain oil. You can enjoy the dish as it is cooked or eat it with rice or noodles. Prepare sweet sour fish sauce. Wash the herbs, lettuce, cucumbers and cut them into a bowl, put vermicelli noodles on top, and then 2/3 slices of fried shrimps, and finally pour sweet sour fish sauce in to enjoy. Sometimes, yarns or sweet potatoes are sliced and added into the flour, which help enhance the taste.

Collected by Linh Trang