A large white plate on a white and gray marble background. The plate contains 20 shrimp arranged in two circular layers, coated in sauce and covered in small crispy golden fried garlic bits.

Mai

Cháy tỏi, which translates to burnt garlic, is a cooking method that involves a type of protein (usually meat or seafood) fried with lots and lots of garlic. Don’t worry, the garlic is not actually burnt, it’s just fried until golden, crispy, and super fragrant. My favorite cháy tỏi dishes are ngan (muscovy duck), sò huyết (blood cockles), and tôm tích (mantish shrimp).

Now mantis shrimp are harder to come by and more expensive, so we’re going to make this recipe with regular shrimp, which is a lot more doable at home! This technique works with any kind of shrimp or prawns- from small ones like we have here to giant tiger prawns. You just need to adjust the frying time to ensure the shrimp or prawns are perfectly cooked.

For this recipe, you’ll want to use shell-on shrimp because the shells lock in the moisture, preventing the shrimp from getting dried out during the frying process. I also recommend head-on shrimp for the same reason and because that’s where all the flavor is, but the choice is up to you.

20 shrimp arranged in two circular layers, coated in sauce and covered in small crispy golden fried garlic bits.

INGREDIENTS FOR TÔM CHÁY TỎI

Shrimp or prawn – Tôm: this recipe works with any kind of shrimp or prawns- from small ones like we have here to giant tiger prawns. You’ll want to use shell-on shrimp because the shells lock in the moisture, preventing the shrimp from getting dried out during the frying process. I also recommend head-on shrimp for the same reason and because that’s where all the flavor is, but the choice is up to you.
Garlic – Tỏi: I recommend using fresh garlic. I have not tried to fry pre-minced/frozen garlic so I cannot guarantee it will work.
Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật
Tapioca starch – Bột năng
Green onion – Hành lá

DIRECTIONS FOR TÔM CHÁY TỎI

Rinse the shrimp well, then strain.
Optional, but recommended: Use scissors to trim off the antennae and walking legs (the legs under the head that are tougher than the swimming legs under the abdomen).
Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut along the back of the shrimp, from head to tail, and remove the intestine.
Cutting the shell open this way will also allow the shrimp to absorb the marinade.
Add the shrimp to a bowl along with the sugar, ground black pepper, and half the amount of fish sauce. Toss well to coat and set aside.
Cut to remove root end, peel, and mince garlic. Try to keep the bits of garlic as uniform in size as you can, so they will fry at the same rate.
Chop the green part of the green onion for garnish, if using.
Add the garlic and vegetable oil to a cold frying pan on the stove, using a spatula to create an even layer of garlic.
NOTE: we will use the same pan to cook the shrimp later, choose a pan that will fit at least half of the shrimp in a single layer.
Turn the heat on medium. Once the oil starts to bubble, stir the garlic frequently to ensure it fries evenly.
Place a sieve over a small bowl and set aside in reach. The garlic will finish cooking quickly towards the end.
When the garlic begins to turn golden (about 8-10 minutes), reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until everything is golden and crispy. This will happen quickly, take care to not burn the garlic- which will make it bitter.
Pour the garlic and oil through the sieve into the bowl. Lift the sieve and shake gently to remove excess oil and set both aside.
Transfer the shrimp into a large clean bowl and sprinkle in half the tapioca starch. Mix or toss to coat, then add in the remaining tapioca starch and mix/toss.
Pour the garlic oil back into the pan and heat on medium.
Add shrimp to the pan in a single layer, you can do this in multiple batches.
Fry the shrimp until the bottom side turns red and the meat on the bottom half is no longer translucent (about 2 minutes), then flip and cook until the other side turns red (another 2 minutes).
If you’re cooking the shrimp in multiple batches, remove the first batch to a plate and repeat with the second batch.
Once the last batch of shrimp is done cooking, add all the shrimp back into the pan along with bouillon and the remaining fish sauce. Stir to fully coat all the shrimp in the sauce.
Add in most of the crispy garlic- reserving a spoonful for garnish, and stir to combine.
Remove everything to a plate and garnish with the remaining crispy garlic and green onion.