One among our favourite Spring reminiscences is watching my mom deep-frying the shrimp crackers, generally known as prawn crackers. Mother throws a number of spices of store-bought shrimp crackers in that deep-colored wok with a lot of peaceable oil, which can differ in a number of colours, however they are going to puff up instantly and blossom similar to flowers. Abruptly, a display of a backyard with blossoms got here to my eye.

You might surprise how this occurs. Shrimp crackers are a crunchy snack produced from recent shrimp, tapioca starch, and water. I’ll cowl all the pieces and supply detailed steps for making shrimp crackers at residence.

What are shrimp crackers?

Shrimp crackers, additionally named prawn crackers, are deep-fried from thinly sliced starch dough flavored with recent shrimp. Shrimp crackers is perhaps in inexperienced, pink, purple, and yellow colours with the assistance of meals coloring.

The unique coloration of the shrimp cracker is both white (if solely shrimp style is added) or barely yellow due to the actual shrimp added.

Probably the most difficult a part of making home made shrimp crackers is slicing them into skinny slices. You’ll need to strive your finest with a pointy knife. The shop-bought shrimp crackers are smashed whereas I exploit a knife. As you may see from the next image, my model is barely thicker. However it tastes significantly better when it comes to taste as a result of I exploit actual shrimp within the dough.

Our home made model has a barely salty style and a powerful shrimp aroma, which you may additionally describe as seafood flavors with a brilliant crunchy texture.

Components

To make shrimp crackers, we’ll want only a few elements. The essential elements are shrimp, water, salt, sugar, and ginger. However we nonetheless want a particular starch—tapioca starch.

• Recent shrimp – You should use high-quality prawns. I exploit freshly peeled prawns.
• A small piece of ginger might help take away the odd uncooked style and improve the seafood taste of the shrimp crackers.
• Water – for combining the dough
• Tapioca starch is a bit of specific and fewer in style than cornstarch within the kitchen. It’s the strongest starch amongst our widespread varieties and thus can help tremendous skinny slices. You probably have ever made boba pearls at residence, the 2 meals share the identical primary ingredient.
• Moreover, we want salt and sugar for the essential flavors.

Step-by-step of home made shrimp crackers

Put together the shrimp paste. Throw 180g of shrimp, one piece of ginger, and 150 ml of water right into a meals processor and mix till clean.

Then add salt, sugar, and tapioca starch. Stir with a scraper first to combine all the pieces properly.

You might discover the dough a bit arduous to deal with as a result of it isn’t common as a result of there isn’t a gluten contained in the dough. However by no means thoughts, we solely have to knead it evenly.

Subsequent, switch the dough to an working board. Form it into a brilliant lengthy log and divide it into 6 parts. Take one portion out and form the 2 ends and make them smoothy in floor.

Now, let’s prepare dinner the dough. Carry a pot of water to a boil. Cook dinner the dough items for about 20 minutes, ensuring that the dough is cooked completely.

Observe: place the dough items one after the other with the assistance of a strainer scoop as a result of the dough will keep on with the underside instantly should you place it straight. Place one dough piece within the strainer, then place it in boiling water. Await round 10 to twenty seconds till the floor corporations, and shake to take away it from the strainer. Repeat to complete all of them.

Put aside the items of cooked dough and allow them to relaxation in a single day. This ought to be ample time for the dough to dry. Keep in mind that you may be frying the dough, so make sure that to position it the place it is not going to purchase any extra moisture.

Lower the dough into skinny slices and proceed air-drying them till fully dried.

Alternatively, if in case you have an oven, you may speed up this course of by baking them at 50 levels Celsius (122 levels Fahrenheit) utilizing the highest and backside warmth for 2-3 hours. Test sometimes to see if they’ve change into scorched and crispy. Flip as wanted.

Deep-frying the shrimp crackers: As soon as sliced shrimp crakers are fully dried, you might have ready-to-cook prawn crackers. To prepare dinner the crackers, warmth some oil in a pan at 160 levels Celsius (320 levels Fahrenheit). Maintain frying till they puff up. This course of will be tremendous fast, round 4-5 seconds. Switch out after which place on oil paper.

Let’s evaluate this home made model with the store-bought model. Our home made model is yellow whereas a lot thicker in texture. The shop-bought authentic model is nearly pure in coloration and fairly skinny in texture. By way of style,home made model has a greater and stronger seafood style.

• Oil for deep- frying
• 180 g recent shrimp
• 1 small piece of ginger minced
• 150 ml water
• 400 g tapioca starch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar

The dough

• Put together the shrimp paste. Throw 180g of shrimp, one piece of ginger, and 150 ml of water right into a meals processor and mix till clean.

• Make the dough |Then add salt, sugar, and tapioca starch. Stir with a scraper first to combine all the pieces properly. You might discover the dough a bit arduous to deal with as a result of it isn’t common as a result of there isn’t a gluten contained in the dough. However by no means thoughts, we solely have to knead it evenly.

• Divide into small parts | Subsequent, switch the dough to an working board. Form it into a brilliant lengthy log and divide it into 6 parts. Take one portion out and form the 2 ends and make them smoothy in floor.

• Cook dinner the dough | Now, let’s prepare dinner the dough. Carry a pot of water to a boil. Cook dinner the dough items for about 20 minutes, ensuring that the dough is cooked completely. Observe: place the dough items one after the other with the assistance of a strainer scoop as a result of the dough will keep on with the underside instantly should you place it straight. Place one dough piece within the strainer, then place it in boiling water. Await round 10 to twenty seconds till the floor corporations, and shake to take away it from the strainer. Repeat to complete all of them.

• Put aside for drying | Put aside the items of cooked dough and allow them to relaxation in a single day. This ought to be ample time for the dough to dry. Keep in mind that you may be frying the dough, so make sure that to position it the place it is not going to purchase any extra moisture.

Slice and Bake it till fully drying

• Lower the dough into skinny slices and proceed air-drying them. Alternatively, if in case you have an oven, you may speed up this course of by baking them at 50 levels Celsius (122 levels Fahrenheit) utilizing the highest and backside warmth for 2-3 hours. Be certain to verify sometimes to see if they’ve change into scorched and crispy. Flip as wanted.

Deep-frying the shrimp crackers

• As soon as the shrimp crackers are dried fully, you might have ready-to-cook prawn crackers. To prepare dinner the crackers, warmth some oil in a pan at 160 levels Celsius (320 levels Fahrenheit). Maintain frying till they puff up. This course of will be tremendous fast, round 4-5 seconds. Switch out after which place on oil paper.