Cucur udang
Prawn fritters
Cucur udang: crisp Malay prawn fritters with chives and bean sprouts
MalaysianCucur udang come straight from the wok at roadside stalls across Malaysia in the late afternoon, sold in paper bags with a tub of sweet chilli sauce, and they are one of the busiest items at Ramadan bazaars. Each fritter is a craggy, crunchy cluster of batter, bean sprouts and chives with a whole prawn pressed on top. A mix of plain and rice flour keeps them crisp for longer. Chef's tip: overcrowding the wok drops the oil temperature and gives greasy, pale fritters; fry no more than four or five at a time.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz rice flour
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 cup cold water
For the fritters
- 9 oz raw prawnspeeled and deveined, tails on if you like
- 3 ½ oz bean sprouts
- 1 oz garlic chivescut into 2 cm lengths
- 1 onionsmall, thinly sliced
- 4 ¼ cups neutral oilfor deep-frying
- ½ cup sweet chilli sauceto serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz rice flour, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground white pepper with 1 cup cold water into a thick batter that drops slowly from a spoon. Rest it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Chop about a third of 9 oz raw prawns roughly and keep the rest whole. Fold the chopped prawns, 3 ½ oz bean sprouts, 1 oz garlic chives and 1 onion into the batter.
Step 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups neutral oil in a wok to 350°F over a medium-high heat; a drop of batter should rise at once, sizzling.
Step 4: Slide a large spoonful of batter into the oil off a ladle and press a whole prawn on top. Fry 4–5 at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden, crisp at the edges and the prawns are pink and curled.
15 minStep 5: Drain on a rack, not paper, so the bases stay crisp. Serve hot with ½ cup sweet chilli sauce.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cucur udang take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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