Lemongrass Shrimp Skewers with Nuoc Cham

• 160 g raw Raw peeled shrimp (5.6 oz raw)
• 8 g raw Lemongrass (0.3 oz raw)
• 4 g raw (1½ cloves) Garlic
• 13 g Fish sauce (¾ tbsp)
• 7 g Sugar (½ tbsp)
• 3 g Vegetable oil (⅔ tsp)
• 10 g Lime juice (⅔ tbsp)
• 15 g Water (1 tbsp)
• 3 g raw Fresh red chili (0.1 oz raw)

You'll need: 2 skewers (soak wooden ones for 10 minutes), Grill pan or frying pan, 2 small bowls, Knife, Cutting board.

Method

1. Marinate the shrimp

   Peel off the tough outer layers of the lemongrass and very finely chop the pale inner part. Finely chop the garlic. Toss the shrimp with the lemongrass, half the garlic, 5 g (1 tsp) of the fish sauce, 2 g (½ tsp) of the sugar and the oil. Leave for 5 minutes.

   Chop the lemongrass as finely as you can. Big pieces are tough and woody.

2. Mix the nuoc cham

   In a small bowl, stir the rest of the fish sauce and sugar with the lime juice and water until the sugar dissolves. Add the rest of the garlic and the thinly sliced chili.

   Nuoc cham should taste salty, sweet and sour all at once. Adjust with more lime or sugar to your taste.

3. Grill

   Thread the shrimp onto the skewers. Cook them in a very hot grill pan for 2 minutes on each side, until pink all over, opaque in the middle (63°C / 145°F) and lightly charred.

   Shrimp curl into a C when they're done. A tight O means overcooked and rubbery.

4. Dip and eat

   Serve the skewers hot with the nuoc cham for dipping.

   Spoon the sauce over rather than dunking, so the chili and garlic come too.

Swaps

• Shrimp → Chicken breast (130 g), in thin stripsCook for 3–4 minutes per side, until 74°C (165°F).
• Fresh lemongrass → Lemongrass paste from a tube (1 tsp)Easier to find and no chopping.