SOUTHERN SHRIMP FRITTER
This dish is usually served as desserts or snacks. Fried cakes are crunchy, spongy, and greasy with seafood fragrance. They are considered one of the Southern region’s specialties which are often sold in many parts of the world as ready-made food. The cake is made from flour (cassava flour or tapioca, which is mixed with some baking powder), pureed shrimps, and some shredded pepper. Shrimp meat can be replaced by crab meat or some other seafood. Especially, vegetarian cakes are made from flour and potatoes.
Soc Trang shrimp fritter: In addition to specialties of pia cakes, sesame cakes, ‘in’ cake, Soc Trang also has delicious shrimp chupatty. Choose fresh giant river prawns, peel, remove the head, cleanse the intestines, and grind well for the meat. Add spices, a bit of wheat flour, and mix the shrimp with other ingredients. When the mixture is no longer sticking to the pestle, the baker takes tiny amounts of dough by hand and rolls it into small lemons. Next using a bamboo tube, he will spread them flat and cut into the desired shape. Next, they are left to dry in the sun like rice paper. There must be enough exposure to the sun, otherwise, the dough color will change, there will be unpleasant smell, and the fritter will not be crunchy when fry. Therefore, these fritters can only be produced during dry season. Dry shaped dough will be dip fried in the oil that has been boiling for a while. Once fried, they will expand into a 3/4 times bigger size, which gives them their name – ‘puff fritter’. When the fritters turn yellow and the pungent aroma is felt, they are well cooked and should be taken out quickly. Taking a bite of these fritters, one will feel the crispy crust on tip of one’s tongue and the salty splendid taste of seasoned shrimp meat. Shrimp fritters are a must at Southerners’ parties. They are great appetizers and can be served with other dishes.
Sa Dec Shrimp fritter: For decades it has always been the famous specialty of Sa Giang brand that sells the most delicious shrimp fritters. Ingredients are also flour, pureed shrimps, pepper, and a few other ingredients mixed together. The mixture will be stuffed into long tubular bags and steamed. Then they are ready for slicing, drying and packaging process. Using raw materials that are common for making other shrimp fritters, Sa Giang brand of Dong Thap still stands out from the crowd and quickly win eaters’ attention from the very first bite. They are neither too hard nor chewy but crispy and spongy. They are best accompanied by salad dishes. It is wonderful to feel the fritters dissolving in your mouth with fragrant shrimps and spicy pepper.
Tinh Biên Smith’s barb fritter: These fritters are made by the skillful hands of the people in Tinh Bien, An Giang. Around October to March every year, when monsoon wind blows, herds of Smith’s barb migrate from Cambodia (from the 7 to the 10 and the 20 to the 25 by lunar calendar). Round fresh fish are chosen, mixed with duck eggs’ albumen, wheat flour, spices, garlic, onions, monosodium glutamate, fish sauce, and salt. All are finely mixed, wrapped in banana leaves like cylindrical glutinous rice cakes (filled with green beans and greasy pork), and steamed for about 2 hours. After cooked, they are left to cool and cut into thin slices. These slices will be dry under the sun for 1/2 days. When it is Tet holiday, they are taken out to eat and treat friends. When fried, the dish has a dark yellow color and seafood flavor; it is crispy, greasy, salty, and spicy, which would surprise dinners.
An Giang rohu fish fritter: Every year on the beginning of July, it is the flood season and ro hu fish start their migration back home. Fresh medium-sized fish are chosen, their heads cut, intestines removed. Then fish meat is washed and marinated with sugar, salt, and pepper … Next, it is mixed together with duck eggs’ albumen and wheat flour. The mixture is spread on banana leaves and tightly wrapped like cylindrical glutinous rice cake. It is covered in another plastic bag and steamed for about 1/2 hours. Then it is left to cool, cut into thin slices and left to dry in the sun for 4/5 days. Rohu fish fritters are dip fried and they radiate a wonderful aroma thanks to the fish sweetness and fatness. The dish is best accompanied by a glass of cold beer.
Collected by Linh Trang
