Shrimp Fritters

June 5th, 2011 | Malaysian Recipes | 13 Comments

Shrimp Fritters pictures (1 of 5)

When my eldest sister came to visit in mid April, we were reminiscing on our family recipes, especially all the dishes that our late mother used to prepare on a daily basis. My mother was an excellent and creative home cook. She fed us every day with 4 to 5 dishes. On our dining table, there were always soup, pork/chicken, seafood, tofu/eggs, and vegetables. Somehow, she managed to cook something new and never seemed to run out of ideas. Even though we came from a poor family, we ate well, extremely well…a revelation that I only realized much later in life.

As we were talking, I remembered the shrimp fritters, or hee chee, that my mother used to make—doughy nuggets of little shrimp, bean sprouts and flour, fried to golden brown and served with her homemade garlic chili sauce. The thought of the shrimp fritters immediately made my mouth water. It’s a dish that I haven’t had for a long while, one recipe that my family is particularly fond of…

So here it is, my mother’s simple yet delicious shrimp fritters recipe. It is very easy to make and takes only a few basic ingredients. I have made it again and again since my sister left, it is so good that my good friend’s little boy gave his thumb up after his first bite. Try it and I am sure you will enjoy this homey and nostalgic recipe from my late mother.

Other delicious family recipes that you might like:

Chili CrabSweet and Sour Eggs (masak Belanda)Prawn Sambal (sambal udang)Stewed Pork Ribs Sesame Oil ChickenBraised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce (tau yew bak)Assam PrawnFish Head CurrySquid Curry (gulai sotong)Stir-fry Pork with Cincaluk Chai Buey Sambal Stuffed Fish

Shrimp Fritters Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon rice flour, optional
4 oz peeled shrimp, rinsed and pat dry
4 oz bean sprouts, rinsed
1 large egg
3/4 cup water
1/4 heaping teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Oil, for deep-frying

Method:

Combine all the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and mix well. The mixture might seem very dry at first, but eventually, it will become slightly watery.

Heat up a wok with enough oil for shallow-frying. As soon as the oil is fully heated, lower it to medium heat. Use a tablespoon to scoop up a heaping tablespoon of the mixture and gently drop it into the wok. Repeat the same until the oil is 80% filled with the shrimp fritters (you will have to fry in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your wok). Turn the shrimp fritters over and fry until both sides are golden brown. Dish out with a strainer, draining excess oil by laying the shrimp fritters on a dish lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with your favorite chili sauce.

Cook’s Notes:

You can trim the ends of the bean sprouts if you like.You can add some carrot strips into the mixture. It adds color (and a mild sweet flavor) to the shrimp fritters. I also like (orange-color) sweet potato strips, which makes the shrimp fritters even better.This recipe is best when made with tiny baby shrimp called geragau (which is used to make cincaluk).For vegetarian fritters, check out Indochine Kitchen’s recipe here.

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