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Bakwan sayur
Vegetable fritters
Bakwan sayur: crunchy Javanese vegetable fritters of cabbage, carrot and bean sprouts
Gorengan carts across Java fry bakwan sayur from mid-afternoon, and office workers and students buy them by the paper bag, eating each crisp, lacy fritter with a raw green bird's-eye chilli bitten alongside. Shredded cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts and spring onion are held together with just enough garlicky batter to set into craggy, golden-edged rounds. Serve them hot with sambal kecap or with a bowl of soto. Chef's tip: the classic mistake is too much batter, which makes heavy, doughy fritters; the vegetables should be barely coated, with batter just clinging between the shreds.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 5 ½ oz white cabbagefinely shredded
- 1 carrotcut into thin matchsticks
- 3 ½ oz bean sproutstails pinched off if you have time
- 3 spring onionssliced
- 2 tbsp celery leaves (optional)chopped
For the batter
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 oz rice flour
- 3 cloves garliccrushed to a paste
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup cold water
To fry and serve
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
- 8 green bird's-eye chillies (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 oz rice flour, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp salt with ¾ cup cold water into a smooth batter about as thick as double cream.
Step 2: Add 5 ½ oz white cabbage, 1 carrot, 3 ½ oz bean sprouts, 3 spring onions and 2 tbsp celery leaves and fold until every shred is lightly coated. There should be no pool of batter in the bottom of the bowl.
Step 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan to 350°F, or until a drop of batter sizzles up straight away.
Step 4: Scoop a heaped tablespoon of the mixture onto a flat metal spatula, flatten it slightly and slide it into the oil. Fry 4–5 at a time, turning once, until deep golden and crisp at the edges.
4 minStep 5: Drain on a rack or kitchen paper and repeat with the rest, letting the oil come back up to temperature between batches.
10 minStep 6: Serve hot, with 8 green bird's-eye chillies to bite alongside.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bakwan sayur take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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