Charred Cabbage With Shrimp Paste Butter Recipe

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a lover of overly salty things. Really savory, salty things. Especially fermenty, savory, salty things like shrimp paste. It’s one of those extremely flavorful and pungent condiments that lends the kind of depth to a dish that a few extra pinches of salt can never achieve. A little shrimp paste goes a long, long, long way. My mom taught me that. It’s insanely good brushed over leftover roast pork or fried in a wok with cabbage and dried shrimp. Or better yet, fold it into a bit of butter, slather it over chunks of cabbage, and roast off until the charred cabbage and buttery shrimp paste flavors meld into wonderfully salty bites.

Editor’s note: Our go-to shrimp paste is this one from Lee Kum Kee.