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Crispy shrimp fritters loaded with shrimp and bean sprouts. This homemade shrimp fritters recipe is so easy to make and taste so good with chili sauce.
Shrimp Fritters Recipe
When my eldest sister came to visit, we were reminiscing on our family recipes, especially all the dishes that our late mother used to prepare on a daily basis.
My mother was an excellent and creative home cook. She fed us every day with 4 to 5 dishes.
On our dining table, there were always soup, pork, chicken, seafood, tofu, eggs and vegetables.
Somehow, she managed to cook something new and never seemed to run out of ideas.
Even though we came from a poor family, we ate well, extremely well…a revelation that I only realized much later in life.
As we were talking, I remembered shrimp fritters, or called hee chee or cucur udang in Malaysian language.
They are crispy, doughy nuggets of little shrimp, bean sprouts and flour, fried to golden brown and served with her homemade garlic chili sauce.
The thought of the shrimp fritters immediately made my mouth water. It’s a dish that I haven’t had for a long while, one recipe that my family is particularly fond of.
So here it is, my mother’s simple yet delicious Malaysian shrimp fritters recipe. It is very easy to make and takes only a few basic ingredients.
I have made the shrimp fritters again and again since my sister left, it is so good that my good friend’s little boy gave his thumb up after his first bite.
Try the recipe and I am sure you will enjoy this homey and nostalgic recipe from my late mother.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 170 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Shrimp Fritters
Serve these shrimp fritters with your favorite chili sauce. For a truly Malaysian taste, I recommend the following recipes to go with the fritters.
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Other Malaysian Recipes That You Might Like
Shrimp Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon rice flour, optional
- 4 oz. (125g) baby shrimp, peeled, rinsed and pat dry
- 4 oz. (125g) bean sprouts, rinsed
- 2 tablespoon scallions , or chives, chopped
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients, except for the oil, in a bowl and mix well.
- The mixture may seem very dry at first, but it will eventually become slightly watery.
- Heat a wok with enough oil for shallow frying. Once the oil is fully heated, reduce the heat to medium. Use a tablespoon to scoop up a heaping portion of the mixture and gently drop it into the wok.
- Continue frying until the oil is 80% filled with the shrimp fritters, frying in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your wok.
- Turn the shrimp fritters over and fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove them with a strainer, draining excess oil by placing the fritters on a dish lined with paper towels. Serve immediately with your favorite chili sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This sound so good! I am going to add the ingredients to my shopping list and make them.
Can you tell me what your favorite chili sauce is? I would love to have the full experience.
Lingham hot sauce, made in Malaysia.
How well do you think these would do with crab or lobster instead of shrimp?
Crab and lobsters would be awesome. Cut the lobster into small pieces.
These sound delicious and wonder if I could use chickpea flour instead
What would be a good side dish
You are a good cook, just like your mom. I tried your shrimp fritters recipe and they taste so delicious! I’m cooking them tonight again.
Thanks Caroline, yes this shrimp fritters recipe is very good. :)
Hello…here in the Philippines we call it “okoy”.. Instead of balls we fry it flat…BTW do you have a compilation of your recipes as in cooking book?
This is my book: https://rasamalaysia.com/easy-asian-takeout/
thanks Bee…i guess i had my settings such that i couldn’t see the “search” function, because it was off side of the main part of the page…i tend to “zoom” the page to 200% so it’s easier for my aging eyes to read…so i missed the search box….don’t know why i didn’t think to scroll sideways…
hi again Bee…
i just realised, looking at your other commentators’s submissions, that i may have misspelled the name as “cucok udang”, when i see there’s “Cucur udang”….
i was trying to put in written words what i hear when my wife names them…and some Malaysian words are hard to put in writing if you are not Malaysian, or know the language at least, somewhat.
and i see that you do have recipes for the Cucur Udang…..but again they are somewhat different looking from what my wife has made…as i said she makes them more flattish and thinner than yours appear to be…and they get quite lacy looking around the edges.
Hi Bee
my wife, Easwari is from Malaysia too, Penang as a matter of fact, as she grew up in Bukit Mertajam…she has a dish that she calls “cucok udang” (prawn fritters) which seems to be very similar to your shrimp fritters, except she adds a few more vegies and they wind up more flattened out and kind of lacy looking….when she makes those (i help by frying them, once she’s put the batter together), i’m in prawn fritter heaven…..so delicious that words fail me…
i think that cucok udang are one of the many delicious “street foods” that you can buy from the street vendors….but as i’ve never managed to make it to Malaysia, i don’t know from my own experience….(although i do want to go there some day…as it seems to be an amazing place)…
i wonder if you might also have a recipe for “cucok udang” more in the style that she makes it? i suspect it’s more the Malay version, than the Chinese…but you seem very familiar with all the various kinds of cookery in Malayasia….
also i wish you had a “search” function on your Rasa Malaysia website, as it might be easier to find some of the recipes, that one may know the names of….
thanks…i love your site…always look for Malaysian, Chinese and Malaysian Indian style foods at your site first….
when my wife was recently in Malaysia to attend a funeral, she came back with three packages of “Rendang” paste, of which i used one, to make chicken rendang one day…and was it ever delicious!!! almost as good as what i’ve had from restaurants in Vancouver, although it was Beef Rendang at those places….
Hans, the Search is at the top right corner of the website you can search any recipes you like.
Like you , I grew up with fantastic home cooked food by mum – mainly Penang Nyonya food :) I have been exploring few of your recipes and love them a lot as it is really similar to my mum’s cooking . And, this is one more childhood food that I crave a lot but difficult to get a good one from shops these days . Will try this out soon and thank for sharing your passion particularly Nyonya food .
Thanks Ai Teng.