Tôm Cuô'n Hành (Spring Onion Wrapped Prawn and Pork Belly)

Tôm Cuốn Hành (Spring Onion Wrapped Prawn and Pork Belly)

This dish is great when you want something lighter than the typical rice paper rolls, but want to enjoy similar flavours. It's really difficult to stop after you start, as they give an explosion of flavours and textures all in one...(or two) bites! These little wraps are usually served with mắm tôm, a shrimp paste-based dipping sauce which I've also posted a recipe for (click here). 

If you're not accustomed to the pungency of shrimp paste, you can switch out the mắm tôm for tương chấm gỏi cuốn which is a hoisin-based sauce typically served with gỏi cuốn (rice paper rolls); or nước chấm, the standard Vietnamese fish sauce-based dipping sauce.

Tôm Cuốn Hành is a dish that originates from North Vietnam and is often served at weddings in 
the countryside with mắm tôm, which is known as mắm nêm in northern Vietnam. It is a great recipe to prepare as an entree for any occasion, as you can prepare it a few hours in advance and refrigerate it until ready to serve. These wraps can also be served on individual plates or placed on a large plate in the middle of the table to encourage mingling and interaction at the dinner table (a common practice in Vietnamese culture, as meal times are a family time and should be a time for interaction).

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Tôm Cuô'n Hành (Spring Onion Wrapped Prawn and Pork Belly)

Ingredients:

          800g cooked prawns (I used frozen prawns and thawed before use)
          1.5kg pork belly
          Sugar & salt (I typically use 1 tsp. salt to 3 tbsp sugar, to season pork belly as it cooks)
          2 bunches young spring onions (younger onions are less pungent and aren't as tough)
          1 tray bánh hỏi (vermicelli sheets - you can sub for 1/2 bag vermicelli noodles)
          1 lettuce head (I like to use Butterhead)
          1 bunch Vietnamese mint (rau răm)

Method:

1. In a pot, place pork belly, sugar and salt and cover with water. Remove pork when it is cooked (you'll know when there is some resistance when you push the pork with chopsticks). Set aside to cool
2. Peel, devein  prawns and halve lengthwise. Place into bowl and set aside
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch spring onions. Submerge in bowl of iced water
4. Wash and tear lettuce into pieces large enough to hold your prawn, pork and vermicelli noodles
5. Once pork is cooled, thinly slice
6. Separate spring onion bunches into individual lengths
7. Arrange ingredients: lettuce, vermicelli, pork, Vietnamese mint then prawn and wrap using spring onion as a tie, tucking the loose end back into the loop
8. Serve with mắm tôm or any dipping sauce of your choice

Close up of a single spring onion wrap (this was my dinner for the night!-yum-)

****Tips: 

You can add or omit any other fresh herbs as you please. This is just a base recipe so feel free to make it your own (chạo tôm, prawn cake, would be a great variation!)

Complementing Recipes:

- Mắm Tôm (Shrimp Paste Dipping Sauce) Recipe

Click here for the recipe. A strong, satisfyingly spicy shrimp paste-based sauce that is used as a condiment for various Vietnamese dishes.
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I'd love to see your versions of my recipes if you try them! Feel free to send them through to my email address; on Instagram with the tag (@unadornedeats) and/or hash-tag (#unadornedeats); or attach them to a comment below!

Love and luck in your cooking!

- Unadorned Eats