Vietnamese Shrimp And Sweet Potato Fritters Recipe (Banh Tom)

Sweet and juicy shrimp nest on the crispy sweet potato fritters. Wrapped with lettuce and aromatics, and dipped into Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Banh tom is popular snack from Hanoi.Basically, its fritter made of sweet potato and fresh shrimp. This is the easiest snack one can make. Its best eaten hot and fresh.

Here is how to make banh tom. The batter is made from all-purpose flour and rice flour. If you prefer thick batter on your fritters, you can add more batter on it. Serve it with your favorite pickles and dipping sauce. Banh tom also make a great appetizer. save

Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:

1 lbs sweet potato, julienned/ thinly shredded

1/2 lbs shrimp in shells

corn oil for deep frying

Batter:

1/2 cup rice flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

3/4 cup water

Garnish:

lettuce leaves

bean sprouts

lemon wedges

cilantro

mint

basil

Vietnamese dipping sauce

• To make the batter: in a mixing bowl, combine rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and turmeric. Add the water gradually. Stir to make a smooth and thick batter.
• Add the sweet potato into the batter. Stir to combine. The sweet potato should be well coated.
• Heat a wok over high heat. Pour oil to a dept of about 2-inches. Heat the oil to 350 F. Put a baking sheet with a wire rack on it near near the frying station.
• Use 2 metal spoons, one is larger and one is regular size. I use a soup ladle and regular spoon. Scoop up about 2 - 3 tablespoon of the batter into the ladle and flatten it with the back of regular spoon. Add 2 - 3 shrimp on top and press them gently into the batter. Make sure they stick to the batter.
• Use a spoon to slide the batter gently into the hot oil. Fry the fritters for about 5 minutes or until they golden crisp. Transfer the fritters to the rack to drain.
• Serve with raw vegetable salad and dipping sauce (see the dipping sauce recipe at Vietnamese Pancake/Banh Xeo).