Ukoy Recipe (Shrimp Fritter)

Ukoy is the Filipino version of shrimp fritters. Small shrimps (usually with head and shell on) are mixed in a batter and fried until crispy. This is can be an appetizer, a main dish, or a mid afternoon snack. Several variations of this dish exists, the most common ingredients that are mixed with shrimps are mung bean sprouts (togue) and julienned squash. There are also other ukoy variations wherein small fishes such as dulong or dilis are used instead of shrimp.

I learned to eat Ukoy when I was still a kid. Every afternoon, our trusted vendor peddles this dish along with turon, lumpiang prito, and bananaque. I used to have this for meryenda (mid afternoon snack) and I enjoy having it soaked in spicy vinegar such as sinamak or pinakurat.

The secret to a good Ukoy is its texture. You can put any ingredient that you want as long as it is within the norm but it should come out extra crispy. During my first few tries, I was not satisfied with the texture. Although the taste was extremely superb, the texture is a bit soggy. Instead of giving-up, I did several more experiments and finally got the crispy texture that I wanted. How did I do it? I simply changed the flour and cornstarch ratio by adding more cornstarch and decreasing the amount of flour.

If you’ll notice in the video, I used small dried shrimps (the size is bigger than hibi) instead of the fresh small ones. I can’t find the right sized (small variety) fresh or even packaged shrimps in my area. It turned out that the dried shrimps are more flavorful than the fresh shrimps that I usually use.

Are you craving for Ukoy?

Try this recipe and let me know your thoughts.