Quick and easy deep fried Golden Shrimp Puffs. Delicious served with sweet chili sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or a side dish.
The Reunion Dinner is one of the most anticipated events in the Lunar Calendar. Held on the eve of the Chinese New Year, it is a day where Chinese families gather to enjoy a sumptuous meal and usher in the new year. Auspicious sounding dishes (often homonyms that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings) are prepared and served to ensure that the new year is off to a good start.
Auspicious Sounding Dishes
Dishes like Yee Sang, also known as Lo Sang is a “prosperity toss” for an increase in abundance and Ho See Fatt Choy meaning “good affairs and good fortune” are desirable. Ingredients like whole chicken (completeness), whole fish (surplus), abalone (definite good fortune), and shrimp (happiness), to name a few, are often used. Hence today’s recipe, Golden Shrimp Puffs for a year fill with joy and happiness.
A Childhood Favorite
These deep fried Golden Shrimp Puffs were a childhood favorite. My brothers and I would eat them dipped in sweet chili sauce. They were so yummy!
In the recipe below, I used a mix of all-purpose and rice flour. The rice flour gives it a slightly crunchy exterior. It also helps to prevent the puffiness from collapsing when they are not eaten immediately.
Tools Used in Making These Golden Shrimp Puffs
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French Whip 8-inch
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Glass Measuring Cup
Bamboo Cooking Chopsticks, 13.5in long, 4 pairs
INGREDIENTS
- 24 large shrimp (peeled and deveined, with tails intact) (425g)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Batter
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (75g)
- ½ cup (65g) rice flour + ¼ cup (33g) for dredging
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water (120ml)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine shrimp, salt, sugar, and ground white pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
- Crack eggs into another bowl. Break up the yolk with a fork or whisk. Add all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder, salt, and ½ cup (120ml) water. Stir to mix into a smooth batter.
- Heat 1 inch vegetable oil in a small pan. Place ¼ cup (33g) rice flour in a shallow bowl.
- Holding shrimp by the tail, dredge in rice flour. Then dip in batter and gently lower shrimp into hot oil. Repeat. Fry in batches. Do not over crowd pan.
- Fry shrimp puffs turning occasionally until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes each batch. Remove and drain on metal strainer.
- Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce.
NUTRITION
Family Reunion Dinner
I made these Golden Shrimp Puffs for our family Reunion Dinner on Sunday. It was happiness to see the family enjoying them so much. 🙂 Do give it a try. I know you will enjoy them too.
Kiong Hee Huat Chai / Kong Hei Fatt Choy / Gong Xi Fa Cai / Xin Nian Kuai Le
i have not used rice flour before i do not know how it would effect the taste of the batter for these shrimp.
can i omit the sugar or use less sugar?
please let me know.
Yes, you can omit the sugar. The rice flour gives the shrimp puffs a slightly crunchy exterior.
This is my childhood favorite as well. Thank you for sharing the recipe since I did not have the recipe that my late mother used to make.
Hi. I am gluten free, so is there a subtitute for the all purpose flour? Can I use chick pea flour?
Yes, chick pea flour will work. 🙂