Crispy Okoy Recipe Filipino Food | Easy Filipino Shrimp Fritters at Home
Crispy Filipino okoy are shrimp and vegetable fritters in a thin, ice-cold rice flour batter that fry up shatter-crisp. Serve hot with a tangy garlic-chili vinegar dip.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8–10 ounces small shrimp, peeled (tails optional)
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts (togue), rinsed and dried
- 1 cup shredded or matchstick sweet potato (kamote), squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
- 3 stalks green onion, sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (patis) or soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon annatto powder (atsuete), optional
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups ice-cold water or club soda
- Neutral oil for frying (canola, peanut, or vegetable)
- 1/2 cup cane vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small red chili, sliced (siling labuyo or Thai chili)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp dry and chop if using larger shrimp.
- Rinse and squeeze excess moisture from bean sprouts, sweet potato, and carrots; slice red onion and green onion thinly.
- Whisk rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and annatto powder in a large bowl.
- Add fish sauce and gradually whisk in ice-cold water or club soda until the batter is thin and pourable like heavy cream; keep it cold.
- Fold in shrimp, bean sprouts, sweet potato, carrots, red onion, and green onion until lightly coated; add a splash more liquid if thick.
- Heat 1/2 to 3/4 inch of neutral oil in a wide pan to 350–365°F (175–185°C).
- Scoop about 1/3 cup batter mixture into the hot oil, flatten slightly, and fry 2–3 fritters at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden and lacy; flip once.
- Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with a pinch of salt while hot.
- Stir together vinegar, garlic, chili, sugar, salt, and pepper until sugar dissolves to make the dipping sauce.
- Serve the okoy hot with the vinegar dip and optional calamansi or lime wedges.
Notes
Keep vegetables very dry and the batter thin and cold for maximum crisp. Fry in small batches to maintain oil temperature. Use a rack to drain instead of paper towels to prevent sogginess. Air fryer option: brush lightly with oil and cook at 400°F (200°C) for 8–12 minutes, flipping once. Variations include whole-shrimp tops, squash (kalabasa) okoy, vegetable-only versions, or adding garlic and chili flakes to the batter.