Discover 3 Ways to Make Delicious Sour Shrimp Paste That Will Leave You Craving for More

Sour shrimp paste has long been a renowned delicacy in many culinary regions like Hue, Da Nang, Binh Dinh... Crafting a batch of delicious sour shrimp paste that perfectly captures the taste of each region requires different methods.

Below, you'll be guided through making sour shrimp paste with the flavors of Hue, Binh Dinh, and the Southern region. Let's dive in and learn how!

1. Hue Style Sour Shrimp Paste

Irresistibly Tempting Hue Sour Shrimp Paste

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh shrimp

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour

• 2 teaspoons of coffee

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 2 large red chili peppers for color,

• 15 bird's eye chili peppers for heat

• 2 large ginger roots

• 2 bulbs of garlic

• 500ml white wine

Instructions:

Step 1: Clean and drain whole shrimps thoroughly, then soak them in white wine for about 30 minutes. After soaking, remove the shrimps and trim off their whiskers and head. Continue soaking the shrimps in wine for another 30 minutes until they turn slightly pink.

Step 2: Mix 1 cup of glutinous rice flour with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt, stirring well. Then cook the mixture on the stove, stirring constantly until the flour is cooked, remove from heat and let it cool.

Step 3: Slice ginger, garlic, bell peppers, and bird's eye chili peppers into thin strips and grind them into a smooth paste.

Step 4: Once the flour mixture has cooled down, mix the shrimps thoroughly with the flour, salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, and ground peppers until each shrimp is evenly coated with the mixture.

Step 5: Place each shrimp in a glass jar or ceramic pot and seal tightly. To ensure even fermentation without the shrimps floating to the surface, you can use bamboo sticks placed on top of the shrimps. Alternatively, you can sprinkle a layer of flour and ginger on top of the shrimps. Keep the shrimps in a cool place for about 5-6 days. When the shrimps turn reddish and emit a fragrant aroma with a slightly sour taste, they are ready to be enjoyed. To control the sourness of the shrimps, store them in the refrigerator.

2. Sour Shrimp Paste from Binh Dinh

Sour shrimp paste from Binh Dinh is also renowned for its deliciousness, not inferior to the sour shrimp paste from Hue.

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of live shrimps

• 250 milliliters of beer

• 250 milliliters of high-quality fish sauce

• 250 grams of white granulated sugar

• 3 large ginger roots

Instructions:

Step 1: Boil a mixture of fish sauce and sugar on the stove until boiling, then turn off the heat and let it cool.

Step 2: Slice the ginger into small strips.

Step 3: Clean the shrimps, remove the head and marinate with salt, let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Step 4: After marinating the shrimps with salt, place them in a glass jar or container with a tight lid, then pour beer and fish sauce with sugar until the shrimps are submerged. Seal the container tightly so the shrimps will turn reddish when cooked. If you want to speed up the process, you can sun-dry them during the day. With this method, after about 3 weeks, you can enjoy the shrimps.

3. Sour Papaya Sour Shrimp Paste from Southern Vietnam

Sour papaya sour shrimp paste

Ingredients:

• 500 grams of live shrimps

• 1 small unripe papaya (not too young but not fully ripe)

• 250 milliliters of beer

• 250 milliliters of high-quality fish sauce

• 250 grams of white granulated sugar

• 3 large ginger roots

• Seasonings: sugar, garlic, chili peppers

Instructions:

Step 1: Clean the shrimps, remove the head and marinate with salt, let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Peel and julienne the papaya as if making salad. Then marinate the papaya with 30 grams of brown sugar. After about half an hour, when the papaya releases water, squeeze out the water, rinse again, and repeat these steps until the papaya becomes dry.

Step 3: Slice the garlic into thin slices, julienne the chili peppers and ginger, and marinate everything with sugar. When everything becomes soft, simmer over low heat until cooked.

Step 4: Prepare sugar syrup as in method 2.

Step 5: Arrange the shrimps in layers, with ginger, chili peppers, garlic, and papaya on top. Repeat until all shrimps are used. Then pour beer and sugar syrup until the shrimps are fully submerged. Keep the shrimp jars in a cool place and let them ferment for about 6 days. With this method, the sour shrimps will last longer, about 6 months.

Sour shrimp paste with vibrant reddish shrimps always makes people crave for more.

So, with these 3 methods of making sour shrimp paste like this, you can enjoy sour shrimps anytime because they are always available at home. Enjoy boiled meat with sour shrimps during Tet or have sour shrimps with noodles, both are delicious options.

Wishing you success and deliciousness with the 3 methods of making sour shrimp paste above!

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