Remove the shrimp heads and de-vein. Leave the tails
shells and legs intact. Rinse the shrimps under running water and pat dry with
paper towels. Finely chop half the spring onions. Cut the rest into 4
cm long pieces and then finely shred the pieces into thin strips. Heat the cooking oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Add
the garlic, chopped spring onion and shrimps. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, tossing the
shrimps until they turn pink. Drizzle the caramel sauce and fish sauce over the top
and cook for 1 minute. Add the lime juice, sugar, salt and remaining spring
onion. Toss well and serve immediately, garnish with the red
pepper. If the shrimps shells are tender, they can be eaten.
Note: To make caramel sauce, combine 4 tablespoons of
sugar with 3 tablespoons of water in a small pan. Stir over low heat,
without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the syrup to the
boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until the
syrup turns dark golden. Take care not to burn it. Remove the pan from the
heat and add 4 tablespoons of water. It will spit and sizzle and the
caramel will form hard lumps. Return the pan to the heat and cook,
stirring until the limps become liquid again. The sauce can be stored in
the refrigerator for up to a week.