Vietnamese Stir Fried Corn with Fresh Shrimp (Bắp Xào) -

Vietnamese Stir Fried Corn with Fresh Shrimp (Bắp Xào)

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: corn, shrimp, stir fry, street food

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 115kcal

Fresh corn stir-fried with butter, green onions, coconut cream, and spices. Add fresh pan-fried shrimp with a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro, and the result is a delicious crunchy bite with sweet, salty, umami flavours coming together with the right amount of tang on your taste buds.

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Equipment

Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

For the shrimp

12 large fresh or frozen shrimp headless, deveined and peeled
1 Tablespoon premium fish sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon M.S.G. optional
1 teaspoon garlic (2 cloves) peeled and minced or pressed

For the corn

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil
3 Tablespoon unsalted butter
6 ears of fresh sweet corn (or 6 cups frozen sweet corn) husk & silk peeled off, corn removed from the cob
½ cup green onions (from 1 stalk, green leaves only) chopped
2 Tablespoons coconut cream powder alternatively coconut milk or cream from a can
2 Tablespoons premium fish sauce

For the garnish

¼ cup cilantro stem removed, rinsed and chopped
1 whole lime cut into wedges

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Instructions

Marinate the shrimp

Peel shrimp and place it into a medium bowl. Marinate it with fish sauce, white sugar, m.s.g. (optional), and minced garlic. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate shrimp while you work on the next step.

Stir-fry the corn

Peel off corn husk and silk from each ear of corn. Cut corn kernels off the cob and place them into a large bowl. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Add seasoned shrimp (with marinade) into the pan in a single layer and pan fry shrimp for 2 to 2½ minutes per side until it is cooked or until it is pink in colour and no longer translucent. Remove shrimp and set it aside on a plate.
Increase the heat to high and in the same pan, melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add the corn and sautée it for 5 minutes. Pour in fish sauce and add the coconut cream powder. If you are using coconut milk or cream from a can, add a few extra minutes to cook the corn until some of the cream has evaporated. Mix everything and continue to stir the corn for another 10 to 15 minutes until it is cooked.
Add the chopped green onions and shrimp back into the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes to combine.
Serve corn while hot, garnished with chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime. Add a dash of Sriracha sauce for little kick. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Can I use frozen corn instead?

I encourage you to try this recipe with fresh corn when in season since fresh corn has a sweet and crunchy texture that makes this dish so delicious! Having said that, you can definitely use frozen corn. Adjust with a bit of sugar to bring out more sweetness from the corn if it is not sweet. Only use canned corn as your last resort because it is processed, meaning it has added preservatives or brine and has already been pressure cooked, which leaves you having to adjust the seasoning and cook time for this recipe.

What is the purpose of dried shrimp?

Salted, dehydrated shrimp is sun-dried and shrinks to about the size of a penny (or smaller). It is favoured as a natural, umami imparting ingredient in Asian cuisines for broths, soups, stews and stir-fries. I give you a different twist by using fresh shrimp and seasoning it.

Can I chop the fresh shrimp into smaller bite sizes?

For budget-friendly shrimp, or if you don't have enough shrimp on hand, you can roughly chop the peeled shrimp into smaller bite sizes to use in this recipe.

I can't find coconut cream powder. What can I substitute it with?

You can substitute with coconut milk or cream from a can. If you want to use coconut oil, use unrefined coconut oil to retain some coconut flavour that gives this dish an exotic flair.

Nutrition