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Prawn and Sweet Potato Fritters - Banh Tom
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Banh Tom - Vietnamese Sweet Potato and Prawn Fritters

A prawn nestled in a basket of golden sweet potato strips then deep fried until crispy. Banh tom is traditionally served with fresh lettuce, herbs and a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce called nuoc mam cham.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Vietnamese
Keyword Banh Tom, Sweet Potato and Prawn Fritter
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
Calories 276kcal
Author Scruff

Ingredients

  • 30 gm dried shrimp (optional but recommended and available at Asian grocers)
  • 1.5 cups boiling water
  • 350 gm sweet potato, peeled and cut into strips
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 12 raw prawns with shell on
  • vegetable oil for deep frying

Batter

  • 1/3 cup self raising flour
  • 1/3 cup glutinous rice flour
  • 1/3 cup rice flour
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup reserved dried shrimp water or tap water

To Serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • If using dried shrimp, wash thoroughly in warm water then soak in a bowl with 1.5 cups of just-boiled water for 20 minutes.
  • Prep all vegetables and make the Vietnamese dipping sauce. (link in the ingredients)
  • After 20 minutes, remove the soaking shrimp from the bowl with a spoon and save the water. Let the water settle so any impurities sink to the bottom. Carefully pour the shrimp water into a measuring cup leaving the impurities behind in the bowl. 
  • Pound the soaked shrimp in a mortar and pestle or blitz for 10 seconds in a small blender until minced. 
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients, shrimp mince and the reserved shrimp water. Combine well (Note 1).
  • Add the sweet potato strips and onions to the mixing bowl and gently stir. Leave aside.
  • Prepare the prawns to your liking. We leave the prawn whole with the shell and head on (Note 2).
  • Fill a deep pan on medium heat with 3-4 cm of vegetable oil. If you have a cooking thermometer, bring the oil temperature to roughly 170°C / 340°F.
  • Before making a fritter, stir the mixture. With tongs, place the fritter mixture on a spatula or a big spoon and flatten it out.
  • Coat the prawn in the batter and place it on top of the fritter.
  • Slide the fritter off the spatula / spoon and into the oil (Note 3).
  • Cook each fritter for roughly 2 mins on each side or until golden and crisp (Note 4).
  • Remove the fritter and drain on a cooling rack. Do not let them cool on top of each other.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. If you have accidentally thrown out the shrimp water  just use tap water.
  2. We use the whole prawn because it looks more striking. We figure anyone who's not comfortable with eating the heads or any other part can just pick it off. 
  3. Do not overcrowd the pan with fritters. This is because the temperature of the oil will drop significantly and the fritters will absorb oil instead of developing that crunch.
  4. If the banh tom cooking too quickly without getting crispy then lower the temperature for the next batch. 

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 641mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 14277IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 3mg