Usually served with a dipping sauce, pickled root vegetables, and lots of fresh herbs and salad, these prawn fritters brings me back to my childhood when my family would have gatherings at this restaurant by the West Lake in Hanoi that specialised in prawn fritters (bánh tôm Hồ Tây)
This is a slight variation on the original recipe by adding sweet potato and using black tiger prawns, and enhancing it with the crispiest of batter!
Bánh Tôm – Prawn Fritters
Ingredients
Batter:
- 300 g plain flour ~2 cups
- 1 oog rice flour 1/2 cup
- 5 g Instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp tumeric optional – for colour
- 450 ml soda water or sparkling water (~2 cups)
Filling:
- 350 g prawns ~12 large tiger prawns
- 1/2 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 sweet potato
Dipping sauce:
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup warm water
- Sliced red chilli
- 2 pressed garlic cloves
Instructions
- Combine the plain flour, rice flour, instant yeast, salt and tumeric powder together
- Add the soda water and mix until the batter is smooth, leave the batter rest for 30 minutes – the batter shouldn’t be too runny or liquid, if necessary add some more flour until you get a thicker consistency
- Peel the prawns (optional: I like to leave the head and the tail because it looks cooler)
- Add the chopped shallots and pressed garlic into the prawns
- Add salt and pepper, leave to marinade for 15 minutes
- Peel and grate the sweet potato into fine strands, leave it to rest in water mixed with a pinch of salt
- Drain the water from the sweet potato and add the sweet potato into the batter. Mix until well combined
- Add oil into a deep frying pan on medium heat (preferably enough that the fritter can be submerged into the oil)
- Once the oil bubbles up, it will be hot enough – pour a ladle full of the batter and sweet potato mix
- Quickly place 1-2 prawns on the batter and press it down lightly onto the batter
- Cook for about 3 minutes then flip around and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the fritter is golden and crispy
- Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients together (adjust accordingly to taste)
Did you make this recipe?
If you’ve made this recipe, remember to tag @mai.ng on Instagram www.maicookbook.com
