Giant river prawn lohn (กุ้งหลวงหลน ; goong luaang lohn)

• Peel and de-vein the shrimp; cut into small pieces. Wash and pat dry the sliced shrimp meat.
• Squeeze the shrimp tomalley from the heads; add it to the shrimp.
• Add fermented sweet rice (khao mak)
• On a cutting board, use a knife to mince the shrimp together with the tomalley and fermented sweet rice.
• Thicken coconut cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat, reserving a small amount for the garnish. Do not allow the cream to separate into fat.
• Add the sliced madan or young tamarind pods and continue to cook until their sourness is extracted. Dilute with a small amount of coconut milk, or water if the coconut thickens too much. Be careful and do not let the coconut cream separate into fat!
• Add the diced firm pork fat and shallots. Continue to simmer until the pork fat is cooked.
• Add the minced shrimp mixture. Stir well to prevent it from forming into chunks.
• When the shrimp are cooked, taste and season to a sour-salty-sweet profile using salt or fish sauce for saltiness, tamarind paste for sourness, and granulated sugar, palm sugar or sweet fermented rice liquids for sweetness.
• Turn off the heat and add another batch of fresh sliced madan.
• Pour into a serving bowl, and garnish with thinly sliced three colored chilies – red, green and yellow – along with sliced shallots and a drizzle of the thickened coconut cream.

Serve with:

• Fresh vegetables, grilled catfish or fried snakehead fish.