Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters (Bánh Tôm Chiên Khoai Lang)
These Vietnamese shrimp and sweet potato fritters, or bánh tôm chiên khoai lang are a bit of a labor of love. But with a little bit of effort, the delicate, crispy fritters made with thinly sliced sweet potato topped with garlicky shrimp will be a showstopper wherever it's served.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 5 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb shrimp
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rice flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup cold water
- cooking oil
Instructions
- 1
Peel and devein your shrimp. I used shrimp with the heads on for a prettier appearance, but you can use any shrimp.
- 2
Add the minced shallot, garlic, salt, pepper and fish sauce to the shrimp. Combine and let the shrimp marinate while you prepare the potatoes.
- 3
Peel and slice the potatoes into ¼ inch strips, about 2-3 inches long.
- 4
Whisk together rice flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and pepper until well combined.
- 5
Add the egg and water to the flour and whisk the batter until it's just combined. It's ok if there are a few lumps.
- 6
Add the sweet potato strips to the batter and mix thoroughly until every piece of potato is coated.
- 7
Heat enough cooking oil in large, heavy-bottomed pot or cast iron skillet to fully submerge the fritters. The oil should be about 350° Fahrenheit. Arrange the coated sweet potatoes onto a ladle, large spoon or spider strainer, and then add one shrimp. Carefully slide the pile of potatoes and shrimp into the hot oil so that the contents of the ladle remain stuck together.
- 8
Remove the fritters when they are golden brown and the shrimp is no longer gray or translucent. Place them on a wire rack or on some paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- 9
Serve with lettuce, herbs and fish sauce dipping sauce