Chao tom is one of those dishes that looks impressive but is genuinely simple once you know the trick: a smooth prawn paste is pressed around a stick of sugarcane, then grilled until golden and slightly charred. As it cooks, the sugarcane caramelises underneath, giving the prawn paste a subtle sweetness you can't get any other way.
Traditionally you'd gnaw the sweet sugarcane once you've eaten the prawn off it – kids especially love this part. If you can't track down fresh or tinned sugarcane sticks at your local Asian grocer, don't let that stop you; simply shape the prawn paste into little logs on skewers instead.
Serve chao tom the classic way, wrapped in lettuce with herbs, cucumber and a big dunk of nuoc cham. It's a fantastic starter for a dinner party, or just a fun, hands-on way to eat prawns on a Friday night.
