Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters
Golden orange and crispy, this Hanoi specialty blends the fragrance and crunch of sweet potatoes with the brininess of shrimp. The fritters, which look like roughly formed nests on which whole shrimp rest, are cut into bite-sized pieces and bundled in lettuce with fresh herbs and cucumber. My mother taught me to soak the potatoes with a bit of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), which Southeast Asian and Indian cooks use to crisp ingredients for frying and pickling. It is basically moistened food-grade slaked lime powder, the same compound used to treat corn for making Mexican masa. The Vietnamese call it voi and it is sold in small, round plastic containers in Chinese, Thai, and Viet markets, usually stocked in the flour aisle. Two varieties are available, red and white. I prefer the white one, though the red one, which has been colored by the heartwood of the cutch tree and is traditionally chewed with betel leaf, may also be used. A small container of slaked lime lasts for a long time because only a little is needed.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 12 fritters, to serve 2 or 3 as a one-dish meal, or 4 as a light main course
Ingredients
Batter
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the sweet potato and cut it into flat, skinny sticks about 2 inches long, 1/4 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick. (Think of them as short lengths of very thick fettuccine.) It is okay if the sticks are not all the same length, or if they come out a little rough looking.
Step 2
In a large bowl, dissolve the slaked lime paste in the water. Add the sweet potato sticks and set aside to soak for 4 hours.
Step 3
Pour oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches into a wok or a 5-quart Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you don’t have a thermometer, stand a dry bamboo chopstick in the oil; if small bubbles immediately gather on the surface around the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Put a wire rack on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet next to the stove.
Step 4
While the oil is heating, make the batter. In a bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, and turmeric. Use a rubber spatula to gradually stir in the water to make a smooth, thick batter. Drain the sweet potato and add to the batter, mixing to coat well. The batter will seem gluey.
Step 5
Fry the fritters in batches to avoid crowding them in the pan. Using 2 large metal spoons, scoop up about 1/4 cup of the batter into 1 spoon and flatten it with the back of the second spoon. Arrange 3 shrimp on top, pressing them gently into the batter to ensure they stick. Lower the spoon just to touch the oil, and then use the second spoon to slide the fritter gently into the hot oil. Fry the fritters, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden orange and the potatoes are cooked through. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer the fritters to the rack to drain.
Step 6
Before serving, use kitchen scissors to cut the fritters into quarters, making sure that each piece gets some shrimp. Serve with the vegetable garnish plate and dipping sauce. To eat, tear a piece of lettuce roughly the size of your palm, top with a piece of fritter, add cucumber slices and a few herb leaves, shape into a bundle, and dunk into the dipping sauce.
Small White Shrimp
Step 7
Vietnamese cooks often use shell-on small shrimp in foods because the shells contribute fragrance and crunch. Small white shrimp (61 to 70 shrimp per pound), which have very thin shells, are ideal. You will find them at Asian and Latin markets. For the crepe recipes on pages 274 and 277, you may peel the shrimp first if you don’t like the idea of chewing on the shells. Be sure to leave the shells on when making these sweet potato fritters, however, or they will dry out. For details on trimming the feet and tail, see page 115.
