This is part of the Wingman Archives, where I’m sharing all the recipes from our chicken wing stall in Saigon.
This one has a bit of a journey behind it. On a dive trip I came across a Mexican street food dish that was essentially bacon fried corn. Simple, smoky, a little spicy. Back in Saigon I started playing around with it and added my own Vietnamese touches. Bap Xao literally translates to fried corn in Vietnamese. It ended up on the Wingman menu as a side and people loved it. Served with a spoonful of natural yoghurt or sour cream on top.
Here’s the updated ingredients and directions with the dried shrimp added:
Ingredients
- 200 grams frozen corn
- 50 grams bacon, diced
- 60 grams dried shrimp
- 10 grams garlic powder
- 10 grams taco seasoning
- 5 grams chilli flakes
- 5 grams fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- Natural yoghurt or sour cream to serve
Directions
- Place the dried shrimp in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 20 minutes until soft, then drain.
- Dice the bacon into small even pieces and cook in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until slightly crispy but still pliable, around 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the drained shrimp and garlic powder and stir through the bacon.
- Add the corn and stir to combine evenly.
- Cook for around 5 minutes until the corn is hot through.
- Add the chilli flakes, cilantro and taco seasoning and mix evenly.
- Serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt or sour cream on top.