Vegetarian shrimp cakes made with a simple recipe, yet the flavor is incredibly delicious and appealing, making them perfect to add to your family’s vegetarian menu. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN today and learn how to prepare these 2 vegetarian dishes for everyone to enjoy!
1. Vegetarian shrimp cakes with taro
-
Preparation
15 minutes
-
Cooking
30 minutes
-
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Vegetarian shrimp cakes with taro For 4 people
Taro 3 tubers (about 300gr) Vegetarian shrimp 100 gr Green onions 3 stalks Tempura flour 100 gr Vegetarian seasoning 1 teaspoon Sugar 1 teaspoon Cooking oil 100 ml Salt a little
How to choose fresh and delicious ingredients
How to choose good taro
- Choose taro that is medium-sized, not too large or too small; it will be more chewy, fragrant, and sweet.
- Taro with a cloudy white flesh and many purple veins is considered delicious and starchy.
How to choose vegetarian shrimp
- You can find vegetarian shrimp at supermarkets, specialty vegetarian food stores, reputable online marketplaces,…
- When buying packaged products, you should carefully check the expiration date, ensure the packaging is intact, not torn or discolored, and that the product inside shows no mold, bruising, or any unusual leaking.
How to prepare Vegetarian Taro Shrimp Cake
-
Prepare the taro
Soak the taro in salt water for about 10 – 15 minutes to clean off the sap, then rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain. Use a knife to slice the taro into thin slices, then continue to cut it into small shreds.
How to clean taro without itching
- Method 1: When buying taro, do not wash it beforehand; instead, keep it whole and use dry hands to peel the skin, then soak it in diluted salt water immediately after peeling to remove the irritating substances.
- Method 2: Use nylon gloves or fabric gloves when handling taro to minimize contact with the irritating substance. However, with this method, it may be harder to grip, and peeling will take longer.
- Method 3: Wrap the taro in aluminum foil and put it in the oven for about 2 – 3 minutes to allow the sap to melt away.
See details: Tips for peeling taro without itchy hands
The vegetarian shrimp should be rinsed a few times with water to remove dirt. The green onions should be washed, cleaned, and chopped.
-
Mix the batter
Put the crispy frying flour into a large bowl, then mix with 150 – 200ml of water and stir well until the flour dissolves and the mixture is liquid, no longer lumpy.
Next, add 1 teaspoon of vegetarian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and finely chopped green onions, then mix well until the seasonings are completely dissolved.
-
Fry the cake
Place a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil and heat it up.
Next, use a spoon to take a portion of the batter and taro and gently drop it into the pan, then place a piece of vegetarian shrimp on top.
Fry the cake over medium or low heat until both sides are golden and crispy, then take it out and let it drain oil.
Tip:- It is recommended to use a spoon to take the taro batter and gently drop it into the pan to ensure the cake is round and even when fried.
- Fry the cake over medium heat to ensure it cooks from the inside out and does not burn.
-
Final Product
The Taro Cake after completion has a beautiful golden color. The outer layer is crispy, the taro remains creamy and fatty, while the vegetarian shrimp is chewy and appealing.
This dish is best served with chili sauce or accompanied by fresh vegetables and sweet and sour fish sauce, which is absolutely wonderful!
2. Sweet Potato Taro Cake
-
Preparation
15 minutes
-
Cooking
30 minutes
-
Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Shrimp Cake For 4 people
Sweet potato 2 pieces Oyster mushroom 200 g Soft tofu 2 pieces Carrot 1 piece Glass noodles 50 gr Tempura flour 150 g Rice flour 30 g Rice paper a little Vinegar 100 ml Salt a little Chopped chili a little Chopped garlic a little Sugar 5 tablespoons Vegetarian fish sauce 4.5 tablespoons Cooking oil 100 ml Food coloring a little
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients:
How to choose sweet potatoes that are sweet and soft
- Good sweet potatoes have a round or elongated shape, without any constrictions or dents, and when pressed lightly, they should not be too hard. These are the tubers that are less fibrous, very starchy, and taste very sweet.
- Sweet, fragrant, and soft sweet potatoes usually have a powdery or earthy coating. When slicing a thin piece from the end of the potato, you will see a light orange color and sap oozing out. These potatoes will be very sweet and soft when boiled.
- Do not buy potatoes that are shriveled, moldy, or show signs of pests.
How to choose fresh oyster mushrooms
- To make the dish appealing, you should choose large, firm mushrooms that feel solid in your hand.
- Additionally, good oyster mushrooms will have natural colors (white or gray), not too dark or too pale.
- Fresh mushrooms are whole, not bruised or crumbled, and have a natural fragrant smell, without any unpleasant odor.
How to choose good white tofu
- To make this dish, you can buy pre-fried tofu or buy white tofu to fry at home to ensure safety.
- To choose a piece of good tofu that does not contain gypsum, you should select those that are creamy white, avoiding those that are yellowing or yellow.
- You should choose pieces that feel light and smooth in your hand, as these are good tofu pieces.
- Fresh and pure tofu will have a characteristic aroma, while tofu containing impurities will have a faint smell like lime.
- You should buy tofu at reputable supermarkets or grocery stores to ensure the best quality.
- Additionally, you can also try making tofu at home to ensure food hygiene and safety.
How to choose fresh carrots
- Select carrots that are deep orange in color, with smooth skin and a small tip.
- Choose carrots that still have fresh green leaves, feel firm when squeezed lightly, are not bruised, and feel solid in hand.
- It is advisable to choose medium-sized or small carrots to ensure they are crisp, sweet, and tender when cooked.
- Avoid choosing oversized carrots as they are often old, lack sweetness, and are not tasty.
- Avoid choosing carrots with black spots, bruises, cracks, or strange odors.
How to prepare Sweet Potato Shrimp Cakes
-
Prepare the ingredients for the vegetarian shrimp
Buy oyster mushrooms and soak them in dilute saltwater for about 5 – 10 minutes, then take them out and let them drain. Put the mushrooms in a mortar and pound them with a pestle until crushed.
How to clean oyster mushrooms quickly and effectively:- After buying oyster mushrooms, you can use a knife to remove the dirty part of the mushroom stem. Then, use your hands to tear or break the mushrooms into smaller, bite-sized pieces (for larger mushrooms).
- To clean the oyster mushrooms, soak them in dilute saltwater for 10 minutes, then take them out, rinse with water, squeeze dry, and let them drain.
- Alternatively, you can soak them in a solution of diluted lemon juice for about 10 minutes, then take them out, rinse with water, squeeze dry, and let them drain.
See details: How to prepare fresh and delicious oyster mushrooms properly
Soak the vermicelli in warm water for about 15 – 20 minutes, then take it out and rinse with clean water before cutting it short with scissors.
Peel the carrot, wash it clean, and then shred it thinly. Rinse the tofu briefly, drain it, and let it dry.
-
Sauté the shrimp filling
Put the tofu in the pan and mash it until very fine, then add the grated carrot and mix well.
Next, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of vegetarian fish sauce, and 200ml of water to the pan.
Place the pan on the stove, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes until the carrot is cooked and the water in the pan reduces.
After 10 minutes, add the crushed oyster mushrooms and cut glass noodles, stir well for another 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the shrimp filling cool.
-
Shape the shrimp
Cut the rice paper in half, then place the shrimp filling in one corner of the rice paper and wrap it up. You can apply a little food coloring to the excess rice paper at the bottom to create a tail shape for the shrimp.
Tip: You can put the shrimp in the refrigerator to firm up the shrimp cake base, making it crispier when fried.
-
Mixing sweet potato flour
Prepare a basin of water mixed with 100ml of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt
After purchasing, wash the sweet potatoes, peel them, and then proceed to shred them. Quickly place the sweet potatoes into the mixed saltwater and vinegar, soak for about 5 – 10 minutes, then take them out and rinse thoroughly with water.
Tip:- To prevent sweet potatoes from turning black, you should immediately put them into the diluted saltwater!
- The thinner you cut the sweet potatoes, the crispier they will be when fried.
Add 150g of crispy flour, 30g of rice flour, and 200ml of water into the basin and stir well until the flour is completely dissolved. Then add 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and a drop of food coloring, and mix well until the seasonings are fully dissolved.
-
Frying the cakes
Place a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil and heat it.
Take some sweet potato and a piece of vegetarian shrimp, place them on a rack, then dip them into the prepared batter. Gently drop the cakes into the pan, fry over medium or low heat until the cakes are evenly cooked on both sides, then remove and drain the oil.
-
Making the dipping sauce
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetarian fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 4 tablespoons of warm water into a bowl, then stir well until the seasonings are completely dissolved. Finally, add minced garlic and chopped chili to finish.
-
The finished product
With its colors and delicious flavors, it rivals that of savory shrimp cakes. Vegetarian shrimp sweet potato cakes are a great choice to make vegetarian meals more interesting! Let’s get into the kitchen and make them right away!
With 2 ways to make crispy vegetarian shrimp cakes that TasteVN has just provided, I hope it will help you diversify your delicious dishes to serve your family! Wishing you success.
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Bà Mẹ Quê and Hieu Huynh
