Indochine Kitchen » Vegetable Fritter

May 11, 2011

Vegetable Fritter

Indonesian food is rich of deep-fried snacks. That might have something to do with the teensy weensy fact that the country is one of the main producers of palm oil. Cooking oil is abused to the letter. It is the way of life, the fried food. We can’t do much, since we can’t really start boiling everything. What we can do is to enjoy it and do so prudently. We can make fritters out of everything. Sometimes with something as lame as cabbage and a bunch of leftover vegetables. This is one of the food item that is enjoyed as afternoon snacks, together with corn fritters and banana fritters.

This vegetable fritters, or bakwan sayur, are bit tedious to make at home, I personally don’t like to spend too much time chopping vegetables. Once a while it is a nice treat to make at home. Tasty way to use up vegetables beside stir-frying them.

Spices to be ground is almost the same as the one used in corn fritter. Shallots, candlenuts, garlic, white pepper, ground coriander, salt and sugar. Grind this in a mortar and pestle till fine.

Vegetables used are carrot, beans sprouts, cabbage, spring onions and Chinese celery with some chilies. Combine all these in a big bowl.

Add a couple of eggs in the bowl.

Add all-purpose flour and tapioca starch.

Lastly, add the rice flour into the bowl. If no rice flour available, substitute with fried chicken coating mix.

Add some water.

Mix everything well with a spoon till it resembles thick batter.

Drop batter into hot oil.

Fry till golden without over-crowding the wok.

Remove from the wok and serve warm with some chili sauce.

Indonesian Vegetable Fritters, Bakwan Sayur

Makes 30-40 fritters

Ingredients:

5 shallots
3 candlenuts
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp whole white peppercorn, or 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

150 g cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, grated
50 g french beans, chopped finely
70 g spring onions, chopped
150 g bean sprouts
3 chilies, chopped finely
2 eggs
150 g flour
50 g tapioca starch
20 g rice flour
1/2-1 cup water
Oil for deep-frying

Directions:

Grind shallots, candlenuts, garlic, white pepper, coriander, salt and sugar to fine paste.
Combine cabbage, carrots, french beans, bean sprouts, chilies in a big bowl.
Add flour, eggs, flour, tapioca starch, rice flour in the bowl.
Slowly pour water in the bowl and stirring continuously so a thick batter is formed.
Heat cooking oil in a wok.
Drop three spoonfuls of batter into the wok. Three to four fritters at a time.
Fry till golden brown, both sides, about 2 minutes each side.
Drain on paper towel and serve warm with chili dipping sauce.