Shrimp Fritters

From Natalie’s Cook To Thrive

I was very fortunate to have both of my Grandma’s parents in my life until I was in college. When my Great Grandma passed she and my Great Grandpa were married for 69 years. He passed soon after her. At the time they had 26 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren with more on the way. I was the oldest great grandchild. 

This is my variation of my Great Grandma Aguillon’s ukoy recipe. It’s essentially a Filipino shrimp fritter.

Fritters:

½ pound shrimp (25/30 count), deveined and shell removed, roughly cut into 1 inch chunks

1 ¼  cup corn starch

¼  cup all purpose flour

1 envelope of Lipton onion soup (1 ounce packet)

¼  teaspoon baking powder

1 ½  cup mung bean sprouts

1 cup peeled, grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot)

1 cup peeled, grated sweet potato (about ½ small sweet potato)

½  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

¾ cup water

2 cups canola oil, for frying

Kosher salt, for seasoning

Dipping Sauce:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar, or Filipino cane vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced into a paste

1/8 teaspoon sugar

Line a wire rack with several layers of paper towel and place over a baking sheet.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl, making sure that the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. 

In a medium sized bowl, combine the corn starch, flour, onion soup packet and baking powder. 

In a separate medium sized bowl mix the the egg, water and pepper and stir until well blended. Fold in the shrimp, bean sprouts, sweet potato and carrot into the mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until well incorporated. The mixture should be more wet than a pancake batter, but not as thin as a crepe batter. If it is too thin, add a tablespoon or so of all-purpose flour. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of water. 

At this point you can cover the mixture and let it rest in the fridge until you’re ready to fry. Much like a pancake batter, allowing the mixture to rest lets the liquid absorb into the dry ingredients. 

Heat about 2 inches of canola oil in a large saucepan or wok to about 350F.

Scoop the mixture using a ¼ cup measuring cup. I like to hold the measuring cup in my left hand and slide it out with a large spoon in my right hand. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes to either side, or until golden brown and crisp. If the oil is too hot, the fritter will burn before the inside is cooked. If it is too cold, it will be greasy. You want the mixture to vigorously bubble when it hits the oil, but not bubble violently. Remove the fritter from the mixture using a spider and place on the prepared baking sheet. Immediately season with a small pinch of Kosher salt. Repeat in batches with the remaining batter, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Remove any bits and pieces of batter that remain in the pan in between batches.

Shaina Harding earned her degree in Enology & Viticulture at UC Davis, working for Domaine Chandon, Clos Pegase and Flora Springs before taking the position of Associate Winemaker at HUNNICUTT Wines. Natalie Coughlin grew up outside of Napa in Vallejo, with a love of food and wine,before becoming one of the most decorated American Olympic swimmers in history. How did these two dynamic women meet and decide to start a small production label called Gaderian Wines? Listen to this week’s Podcast and  get the whole story. [EP181]

“Gaderian is producing exciting, balanced, lively and affordable wines built on a Napa Valley portfolio that differs somewhat compared to many of the region’s producers. Cabernet Sauvignon is not their focus – rather, arguably their flagship wine is Chenin Blanc.” 

Swimmers for Change is powered by over 30 US Olympic, Paralympic and National Team swimmers with the mission to educate the swimming community on what Black Lives Matter means and to raise money for charities that support black communities. 

The Swimmers for Change webinar series will be FREE, we just ask that you donate what you can! The series kicks off Monday June 15th and 100% of donations will go towards charities supporting the black community.

AVAILABLE NOW!

From one of the most decorated athletes of all time, 80 healthy and delicious recipes to fuel and nourish an active lifestyle while never sacrificing flavor.

When all that exists between winning a gold and a bronze medal are hundredths of a second, every detail matters -- especially the food you put in your body. Some Olympians may survive on bland brown rice and steam chicken breasts and broccoli, while others may happily down fast food cheeseburgers, but not world champion swimmer Natalie Coughlin. Natalie embraces a winning, nourishing path with wholesome meals that have tons of flavor to satisfy both the body and the soul -- the key to her success. Natalie’s debut cookbook, Cook to Thrive, is full of the healthy, delicious recipes that sustain her both in and out of the pool: hearty breakfasts, bountiful snacks, grains and pastas, energizing smoothies, big salads, grab-and-go snacks -- all nutritious, satisfying, and delicious. Natalie believes in balance, not extreme deprivation, and that means moments of indulgence are not only allowed, but necessary. In Cook to Thrive, you’ll find personal, comforting recipes inspired by Natalie’s Filipino background and many based on dishes from her travels around the world for competitions. Natalie’s tried-and-true techniques and tips for very busy schedules prove that if she can do it, you can too. 

Follow these links to purchase Cook to Thrive:

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

BAM

IndieBound

This recipe starts with regular chicken stock and becomes a simple yet satisfying ramen bowl for when I want to enjoy the dish at home. As always, homemade chicken stock is the best to use, due to its taste and body, but you can definitely use a store-bought stock here. The roasted aromatics, miso paste, kombu, and fish sauce add layers of umami-packed flavor. It’s a broth that’s great sipped on its own, but you can add any number of items, including Soy-Marinated Eggs, to make a satisfying meal.

EASY RAMEN BROTH

2 tablespoons white miso paste

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other high-heat neutral oil 

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled

1 large onion, unpeeled, quartered

8 scallions, cut into 4-inch-long pieces

1 (3 x 4-inch) piece kombu 

3 quarts chicken stock, homemade or store-bought

2 or 3 dried bird’s eye chiles

1 or 2 star anise pods

1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more for seasoning

1 tablespoon mirin, plus more for seasoning

MAKES 1½ TO 2 QUARTS 

This is by no means an authentic ramen recipe. Traditional ramen broth, such as tonkotsu, my favorite style, can take upward of 24 hours to make. The long, intensive process involves a huge amount of various pork bones and copious chopped pork fat. I’d rather leave that one to the professionals and enjoy it in ignorant bliss!

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso paste, oil, and a splash of hot water until smooth. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the miso mixture with the ginger, onion, and scallions. Roast until the vegetables are slightly charred and oozing, 45 to 60 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, rinse the kombu under running water. Put it in a bowl, cover it with water, and let it soak while you bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the drained kombu to the gently simmering stock, partially cover the pot, and cook to infuse the stock with the flavor of the kombu, 30 minutes. Discard the kombu and remove the pot from the heat.

4. When the vegetables are roasted, add them to the chicken stock along with the dried chiles, star anise, and dried mushrooms. Set the saucepan over high heat, bring the broth to a gentle simmer, and reduce the heat to medium low. Partially cover the pot and allow the ingredients to infuse the broth for 1 hour. You want the broth to barely simmer.

5. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Add the fish sauce and mirin. Taste and season with more fish sauce and/or mirin as desired. Use immediately or let cool completely and store for later use. The ramen broth will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

HOW TO BUILD YOUR RAMEN BOWL

Here are some of my favorite additions to mix and match for a filling meal.

Fresh or dried Chinese egg noodles, cooked

Soy-Marinated Eggs

Leftover meat, thinly sliced

Finely sliced scallions

Baby mustard greens 

Baby kale 

Spinach

Chard greens, lightly steamed

Bamboo shoots

Enoki mushrooms

Grated fresh ginger

Grated garlic

Freshly sprouted greens

Easy Ramen Broth

Shichimi togarashi· 

Once you have all your ingredients ready to go, building a ramen bowl couldn’t be simpler. If you have a ramen bowl, that’s great. Otherwise use the largest, deepest soup bowl you have.· The proportions of your ramen fillings are totally up to you, but I aim for about 1 cup noodles; 1 soy-marinated egg, halved; ¼ cup leftover meat; and 1 to 2 cups vegetables.· Place your cooked noodles in a mound in the center of your bowl. Place the vegetables on one side of the noodle mound, the meat nestled next to the vegetables, and the soy-marinated egg halves next to the veggies. Top the ingredients with 2 cups or more of hot ramen broth.· If you like spice, as I do, I sprinkle some shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice blend) on top just before serving. Serve immediately.

From now until December 24th, enjoy $1 shipping on all orders of 4 or more bottles of my Gaderian 2017 Carneros Pinot Noir. It makes the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life!