Shrimp Mousse (Bình tôm)

September 20, 2009

Shrimp Mousse (Bình tôm) © kvalifood.com

A Vietnamese shrimp paste used as a filling or topping in various dishes - stuffed into tofu, spread on sugarcane, or wrapped in rice paper before frying. It’s smooth and bouncy once cooked, with a clean shrimp flavour seasoned simply with fish sauce, pepper, and a bit of spring onion and shallot.

Ingredients

200 g prawns, peeled
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp coarse black pepper
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp sugar
½ cup white spring onions and shallots, chopped finely
1 egg white

Directions

Place the peeled prawns, sea salt, coarse black pepper, fish sauce, sugar, chopped white spring onions and shallots, and egg white into a food processor or blender.
Blend until the mixture forms a smooth, sticky mousse. Scrape down the sides as needed to ensure everything is evenly processed.

Notes

The mousse is raw at this stage - it gets cooked as part of whatever dish you’re making (fried, steamed, grilled on sugarcane, etc.).
The egg white helps bind everything and gives the mousse a lighter, bouncier texture once cooked.
Keep the mousse cold until you’re ready to use it - it’s easier to handle that way.