The familiar scene of eating with chopsticks and one leg supported by a chair is not perfect without the pleasant food that appears on the table.
What is Thit Rim Tom?
Rimtome is a fusion of two classic Vietnamese dishes: braised and caramelized black pepper pork (thịtkhotiêu) and stewed and caramelized shrimp (Tômrim).
It is also known by other names: thịtkhotôm, or theth rangtôm.
This typical Vietnamese home-cooked dish consists of bite-sized pork and shrimp that are quickly simmered in sticky, flavorful fish sauce-based glazes. Pork obesity gives otherwise lean shrimp more flavor.
You rarely find Tom Rims served at Vietnamese restaurants in the US. However, in Vietnam you can often find it in restaurants that serve dishes called cơmgia thunh (family style rice meals) or cơmbìn hdân (commoners’rice dishes).
It is usually served with steamed white rice to balance out the strong sweet and salty flavors. For a more complete meal, you can enjoy it with stir-fried vegetables, light vegetable soup (Canh) or keep it very simple with no cook sides such as fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers.
This is humble yet delicious food and definitely reminds me of the house. If you’re not Vietnamese but want to impress it (😉), this is one of the dishes you make. And that’s not that difficult!
Vietnamese caramelized stew plate
Caramel-stewed stews are often found in home-cooked Vietnamese cuisine. The rich colour of these traditional side dishes comes from caramelized sugar.
The more traditional way of caramelized sugar is a bit tricky and smoky. It involves dissolving the white sugar to make Vietnamese caramel sauce (nướcmàu). This process contains slightly burning sugar until it becomes a dark amber colour. An example of this method can be found in my recipe for Vietnamese steamed catfish (Cákho) and Vietnamese raw inger chicken (gho ghng).
Another way to get that classic rich colour is to use a small amount of rich soy sauce or a thick soy sauce. Don’t add too much. Otherwise, the food will taste more Chinese than Vietnamese.
Another easy way is to use natural sugar in coconut water in a slow stew, as we did here in the easy Vietnamese steamed pork pork (thịtrimnướcdừa) recipe. This is great when you have very sweet coconut water and lots of water in Vietnam, but not in the US.
This recipe uses dark brown sugar for both sweetness and color, keeping it extremely simple. It helps the cooking come together faster and easier. This is the perfect side dish to make a busy weekday night for a quick rice dinner.
What you need
To make a rim tom, collect the following ingredients:
Shrimp – For best results, label small shrimps over 50 sizes (meaning about 50 shrimp per pound). Choose the shrimp that still has a shell and tail. They add a nice crunch and give the dish more authentic texture. However, if you wish, peeled shrimp can be used instead. Pork – You can use either pork shoulder (also known as the pork butt) or pork belly. The pork belly is cut in fatty cut. In Vietnamese it is called thịtbachỉ or thịtbarọi. If you’re using pork belly, a good slice hack is partially frozen first. This makes it easier to slice neatly without slipping the layers. Aromatic – A mixture of green onions, shallots and white parts of garlic adds the iconic Vietnamese aroma to your dishes. Seasonings – Fish sauce and sugar are the main seasonings. This sweet and salty combo is a classic of Vietnamese and many Southeast Asian cuisine. UMAMI Condiments – I’m using the pinch of MSG here and using that extra tasty Umami flavor. You can also use chicken broth powder, or both. You could skip it completely, but you just know that the flavor isn’t that surprising. Water – This is a steaming solution. Traditionally, coconut water (or coconut soda, such as cocorico) was used. In this version, we keep it simple with plain water. Decoration – I sliced a sprinkle of ground black pepper, green onions/spring onions, and red Thai chili peppers if you like spicy kicks. These are options, but the food is much more appetizing when served.
How to make a rim tom
Step 1: Prepare the pork and shrimp
Scrub the pork and shrimp with salt to clean them to remove the prolonged porky and shrimp smell. Rinse and drain.
Cut the pork into bite-sized strips. Debain the shrimp if necessary. Put both aside.
Step 2: Prepare aromatics
Thinly slice the green onions. Separate the white and green parts. Peel off the shallots and garlic cloves, chop them finely and set aside.
Step 3: Fry the pork
Heat a small amount of oil in a medium frying pan. Add sliced pork to the single layer and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes or uninterrupted until you develop a light brown crust at the bottom. This adds a flavour and gives the pork a head start, and then finishes cooking later at the same time as the shrimp.
Step 4: Add shrimp, seasonings and aromatics
If used, add shrimp, fish sauce, MSG or chicken broth powder, dark brown sugar, white green onion, garlic and shallots. Mix everything until it’s fully incorporated and the aromatics are slightly toasted and aromatic.
Step 5: Stew
Add water and simmer everything over medium heat for about 8 minutes and cover. Stir occasionally to ensure that all pieces are evenly coated with the sauce. Most of the water is ready when there is still a thick glaze that clings to the pork and shrimp.
If the mixture appears to be too dry, or if you prefer the sauce more, you could add a little more water. Don’t add too much. You need GL drugs at the end, not soup.
Step 6: Decoration, Serve
Once most or all of the liquid has been cooked, it’s done! Garnish with remaining green onions, chili peppers and cracked black peppers. Serve with steamed rice and soup sides for a complete Vietnamese meal.
Storage and reheat
This dish is a great option for meal preparation as it gets even better the day after you have time to blend in with the flavors.
Store leftovers in a fridge airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, use a microwave for best results as the dish does not have much liquid.
You can also reheat it with Stovetop. Throw evenly until it gets hot so that it doesn’t burn.
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explanation
A quick and easy Vietnamese classic made with pork and shrimp in a glacial pill in a sweet and delicious fish sauce. This version uses dark brown sugar as a shortcut, rather than the traditional way to caramelize sugar. Serve with hot steamed rice for a complete meal.
Prepare the pork and shrimp: Clean the pork (1 lb) and shrimp (1/2 lb), rub with 1 tablespoon of salt, rinse thoroughly and dry. Cut the pork into bite-sized strips about 1/4 inch thick. If you use pork belly, make sure each strip contains a layer of skin, meat and fat. Set the pork aside. To remove the shrimp, remove the dark intestines if they are still there. Using a toothpick, gently lift the vein from behind the shrimp and slide the toothpick under the shell to pull it out. Rinse the shrimp again and remove any remaining veins. Set the shrimp aside. Pan Fry Pork: Heat a small amount of oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add sliced pork to the single layer and cook uninterrupted for about 5 minutes or until you develop a light brown crust at the bottom. This adds a flavour and gives the pork a head start, and then finishes cooking later at the same time as the shrimp. Add shrimp, seasonings and aromatics: if you are using shrimp (1/2 lb), fish sauce (2-1/2 tbsp), MSG (1/4 TSP), dark brown sugar (2 tbsp), white green onion, garlic (3 pinch/1 tbsp), shallots (1 small bulb/2 TBSPS). Mix everything until fully incorporated and the aromatics are slightly toasted and aromatic (about 1 minute). Braised: Add water (1/2 cup) and simmer everything over medium heat for about 8 minutes and discover. Stir occasionally to ensure that all pieces are evenly coated with the sauce. Most of the water is ready when there is still a thick glaze that clings to the pork and shrimp. If the mixture appears to be too dry, or if you prefer the sauce more, you could add a little more water. Don’t add too much. You need GL drugs at the end, not soup. Finish: Once most or all of the liquid has been cooked, garnish with remaining green onions, chili peppers, and freshly sparseed black peppers. Serve with steamed rice and soup sides for a complete Vietnamese meal.
Preparation time: 5 minutesCooking time: 14 minutescategory: Side dishmethod: Stove topcooking: Asian and Vietnamese people
(TagStoTRASSLATE) Easy recipes (T) Fish sauce (T) Garlic (T) Pork berries (T) Pork shoulder (T) Shallots (T) Shrimp
