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Bakwan Sayur (Indonesian Vegetable Fritters)

Bakwan sayur are the vegetable fritters sold from gorengan (fried snack) carts all over Indonesia. They're cheap, crunchy and full of shredded vegetables held together with just enough batter.

The classic way to eat them is with a whole fresh bird's eye chilli, taking a bite of fritter and then a tiny bite of chilli. If that sounds too fierce, a little sambal or sweet chilli sauce works too.

Adaptation note: some Indonesian cooks season the batter with ground coriander or stock powder. We keep it to garlic, shallot and white pepper, and add a little rice flour for extra crunch.

Servings
4
Prep Time
15
mins
Cook Time
15
mins
Ingredients
13
Total Time
30
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Pantry bits

Rice Flour
Rice Flour
White Pepper
White Pepper

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (150g) plain flour
  • 2 tbsp rice flour
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 eschalots (French shallots), finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 3/4 cup (185ml) cold water
  • 2 cups finely shredded cabbage
  • 1 carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • Neutral oil, for shallow frying
  • Fresh bird's eye chillies or sambal, to serve

Instructions

  1. Whisk the plain flour, rice flour, garlic, eschalots, salt and white pepper in a large bowl. Add the cold water and whisk to a thick, smooth batter.
  2. Fold in the cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts and spring onion until everything is lightly coated. It should look like more vegetables than batter.
  3. Heat about 1cm of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. It's ready when a drop of batter sizzles straight away (about 180°C).
  4. Drop in heaped tablespoons of the mixture, flattening each one slightly so the edges are thin and lacy. Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp.
  5. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
  6. Serve hot with whole fresh bird's eye chillies or a little sambal on the side.

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