Tom Rang (Tom Rim)- Momma Trinh’s Caramelized Shrimp With Garlic

Vietnamese Caramelized Shrimp, aka Tom Rang is similar to it’s sister dish, Tom Rim, it is also made with raw prawns (typically with the shell and tails on) and is super easy and quick to make. The difference between Tom Rim and Tom Rang is that Tom Rim is braised/cooked longer in the caramel sauce.

Tom Ran is a super traditional and popular Vietnamese dish. I like to cook down the caramel sauce until its tacky on the shrimp to make it ultra savory and finger licking good!

Typically small to medium prawns are used but the larger varieties are also really good with this. I love to leave the heads on because the heads contain a lot of colorful orange dyes and fat that make this dish ultra savory.

Our Family Tips:

*Our family likes to add a little butter with oil to give the shrimps a boost of silky and savory flavor

*Cleaning shrimps with salt water helps get rid of unpleasant shrimp smells

Ingredients

• 1 lbs shrimp (head, shell and tails on. I used Madagascar shrimps from Citarella)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

• 3-4 tbs oil

• 1 tbs unsalted butter

• 8 garlic cloves minced

• 1-½ tablespoons sugar

• 1 tbs fish sauce (or more to taste)

• 1/2 tsp sugar

• 1 green onion (1’ segments, green parts only)

PREPARATION

1. Clean prawns with some salted water, devein, then rinse and drain.

2. Marinade prawns with salt and black pepper and let rest in fridge for 10 min.

3. Add sugar to a small sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat until completely melted and caramel turns a dark brown color, add a little water to help thin it out and to prevent it from turning into candy. Set aside.

4. In a large skillet or pan, heat oil on medium high until hot and glossy. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds) and slightly browned. Transfer garlic into a small bowl, leaving oil in pan.

5. Add shrimp to pan with a little butter and cook on medium for a couple minutes on each side until liquid has thickened and shrimps are a bright red/orange color. Add fish sauce, sugar, and toss. Then add fried garlic back in and toss to coat (save a few of the fried garlic to add to the top of shrimps for garnish).

6. Add chili pepper and onions and toss for a few seconds.

7. Garnish with some extra red chili peppers, reserved fried garlic, and black pepper.

8. Serve hot with a side of steamed rice. Or a bowl of Vermicelli noodles, fresh herbs (cilantro, mint, green onions) and a side of Nuoc Mam Cham.