Vietnamese Spicy Garlic Shrimp: A Tale of 2 Cities in Multicultural Cooking
To be honest, I am not even sure if this Vietnamese spicy garlic shrimp is an authentic Vietnamese dish. Also, what exactly is an authentic, purist dish? All cultures influence one another, from mein/pasta to dumplings/ravioli. So many parallels exist in our cooking techniques all around the world. Rather than trying to claim ownership of the origin of a food, maybe we can shift our focus to marvel a the shared histories that many of our foods have across the world. That would bring a sense of community and commonality rather than one of separation and differences.
Vietnam was colonized by France from the late 1800s to the mid 1950s. which is what brought about the fusion of these two cuisines. Although I cannot deny the injustices suffered by countries that were colonized by western empires, I can at least find a silver lining in the interesting fusion of cuisines that this cultural blending created. Because of France’s influence in Vietnam, you will often see Vietnamese sandwiches featuring a version of French bread and pates. Vietnamese cuisine has its version of headcheese and uses butter in stir fries. A popular dessert is flan, a cousin of the famous French egg custard dessert creme brulee.
This Vietnamese spicy garlic shrimp recipe is definitely kissed by the French, with the presence of sweet butter. Aha, colonialism explains yet another culinary phenomenon. Butter provides a delicious richness to the sauce, which then mingles with the juices of the shrimp, creating an amazing burst of flavor when you bite into each shrimp. Thank you, France, for the helpful culinary addition.
Cooking Restaurant-Quality Food at Home
One of the main differences between home-cooked food and restaurant food is the amount of seasonings one puts in. I remember my family ordering this dish at Vietnamese restaurants every single visit. There’s a reason for it-trust me. It’s so complex and delicious, with its buttery, garlicky, spicy, and sweet flavor profiles. So much umami and so much yum!
So I wanted to recreate and share with others so they can enjoy the beauty of this dish. If you want to create restaurant-quality food, there’s one simple strategy: season, season, season. Don’t hold back on your seasonings!
For more delicious Vietnamese dishes, check out my Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
Other delicious Asian recipes you can check out are: Chinese Sticky Rice with Preserved Meats, Thai Papaya Salad, Chinese Mapo Tofu, Basil and Beef Stir Fry
The Importance of Balance in Vietnamese Spicy Garlic Shrimp
The flavors in this spicy garlic shrimp recipe are well-balanced: you’ve got sweet from the sugar, savory from the butter, fish sauce, and oyster sauce, spicy from the chile, and umami from the fish sauce and oyster sauce. The aromatics add another layer of richness and complexity to this dish. You can’t go wrong when you’re using garlic, shallots, and green onion in my book!
Cooking Shrimp with Shell On
I remember that garlic shrimp dish we would order at restaurants would come to our table blazing hot from the wok. The shrimp was surrounded on all sides by yummy stir-fried aromatics (garlic, shallot, and green onion). I remember biting into each delectable shrimp and feeling so grateful to be alive to enjoy that burst of delicious juice exploding from the shell. As soon as the juice filled my mouth, its flavors would meld with hints of sweet shallot and aromatic garlic, adding a fullness of flavor and umami to the whole experience. Folks, there is really something magical about eating shrimp that has been cooked with their shells on!
For other shrimp ideas, check out my creamy shrimp and leek recipe
Price Comparison
How much did I spend on this spicy garlic shrimp dish? Shrimp ($11), green onion ($.75), shallot ($1), butter ($1), jalapeno ($.75), garlic ($.33), fish sauce ($.25), oyster sauce ($.50). This made 4 servings. All the other spices I already had lying around and are very inexpensive, especially if you are buying them in bulk. I will be realistic and recognize that a restaurant dish probably serves 2 whereas mine served 4. So I will do the math accordingly to be a price breakdown per 2 servings.
Restaurant ($16-19) vs. Home-made ($7.79)
You pay more than double if you choose to order a stir-fried shrimp dish at a restaurant. I encourage you to be a smart consumer and to make shrimp at home. I recognize that time is of the essence, but you will be bleeding money if you consistently order out for shrimp instead of making it yourself.
Happy cooking!
Vietnamese Spicy Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 red jalapeno sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flake
- 1 head garlic finely chopped
- 2 lb shrimp shells on
- 2 tbsp black pepper freshly grated
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 green onion chopped
Instructions
- Rinse shrimp and leave to drain in a colander.
- Meanwhile, begin prepping aromatics and ingredients.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium. Add olive oil and butter to pan and allow butter to melt. Add in shallot, and red jalapeno into frying pan. Allow to sauté for 3-5 minutes until shallots soften. Then add red pepper flake and garlic and sauté on medium 2-3 minutes, or until garlic becomes golden in color.
- Immediately after your garlic turns slightly golden, add in shrimp, turn fire on high, and saute shrimp until they become pink and cooked through ~5-7 minutes. Stir constantly to allow even cooking. Add in pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, combine fish sauce, oyster sauce, water, and sugar. Mix together the sauce to make sure sugar is dissolved. Then add to the shrimp when they are just about cooked through. Adjust seasonings to taste: by adding in a splash of water, oyster sauce, fish sauce, black pepper, or sugar.
- Mix in green onion and cook for another minute until green onion is slightly softened. Serve in pan with lots of fresh lemons and white rice or crusty French bread.
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