Ukoy or Shrimp Fritters is a popular Filipino street food. There are different types of fillers for this deep fried fritter but the common ingredient is shrimp; unless you want to make it vegan and just have veggies.
Ukoy can be made using grated squash, sweet potatoes, yucca, green papaya, carrots or just bean sprouts, my personal favorite.
Ukoy as I mentioned is a popular street food which can be eaten on the run, but it can be served as a side dish or as I do the main course with rice and a vinegar dipping sauce.
I’ve been trying to make Ukoy the way my Lola, grandma, used to make. Hers always had the perfect texture and the right crunch. She made it with fresh tofu, bean sprouts, and medium sized shrimp. Talk about yummy!
After many fails, I mean trials, I finally figured out where I’ve been going wrong. It was my batter! For reasons I can’t explain I’ve been using egg in my batter, possibly because egg is something that I put in all my batters. But that batter is always thicker and heavier. And the end result was more like a fluffy pancake, not crunchy at all.
Well the simplest solution was no egg batter! Don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner! Once I omitted the egg my Ukoy turned out perfect. Literally just like Lola’s Ukoy was!
Here’s the recipe!
Ukoy Na Togue – Shrimp & Bean Sprout Fritter
– medium sized fresh shrimp
– peeled and deveined, tail can be off or left on
bean sprouts
bunch green onions, chopped
firm tofu, diced
finely minced garlic
flour
cornstarch
baking powder
garlic powder
salt
water
Oil for frying
Vinegar
minced garlic
black pepper for dipping sauce
In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and water.
Mix until well blended and all powders have dissolved.
Add shrimp, bean sprouts, tofu, green onions, and garlic to the batter. Coat well.
Heat about 1 1/2” of oil in frying pan.
Drop 2 tbs of batter mixture into hot oil.
Flatten with back of spoon to form patties.
Fry about 4-5 minutes then flip to fry other side.
Fry another 4-5 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and crisp.
Drain on paper towels.
Mix dipping sauce to taste.
Serve hot with white rice and dipping sauce. Or serve as a snack!
