Thai Isaan Food: Goong Dten Dancing Shrimp

Thai Isaan Food: Goong Dten – Dancing Shrimps

Prepare:

1 cup small (live) freshwater shrimp
5 cloves garlic (sliced)
2 lemongrass (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup peppermint
2 tbsp. sliced scallion
1 tbsp. sliced coriander
2 tbsp. sliced red onion
2 tbsp. roasted uncooked rice
2 tsp. dried pepper powder
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. fish sauce

Goong Ten Cooking Instructions:

1. Clean freshwater shrimp very well.

2. Mix dried pepper powder, garlic, lemon juice, lemongrass, fish sauce, roasted uncooked rice together.

3. Add scallion, coriander, peppermint and red onion in the mixed sauce.

4. Now, put sauce and freshwater shrimp in a big bowl. Put a plate over top and shake it to make it mix well.

5. Lemon juice can be added more if you like sour food.

I know it is too sad to eat this Thai-Isaan food. When I was young I used to go out to the rice field with my mom. Our friends went out the river to fish and this small freshwater shrimps came into their net. They gave some to us. As we have Thai-Isaan blood, we cooked it this way and also we can put freshwater shrimp with egg to make an omelet.

We eat almost everything! haha 🙂 One time people from a different country asked me “Do you eat butterfly?”

Hmm… I’m not that hungry I think.

Note from Vern

The shrimp are baby shrimp. They are alive. They jump out of the hot spicy sauce when you remove the plate on top. It’s quite tasty if you can get over the barbaric aspect of it. I did, maybe too quickly!