Ukoy: Filipino Shrimp and Vegetable Fritters
Recipe Guy
Filipino fritters | Shrimp and vegetables | Vinegar dip
The best bite of these ukoy has shrimp, shredded vegetables, and plenty of crisp edge, with only enough batter to hold everything together. Rice flour and cornstarch keep the coating light, while chile-garlic vinegar gives the fried fritters a sharp counterpoint.
Why make it: This version uses small shrimp, sweet potato or squash, and rice flour for a practical U.S. kitchen fritter that stays crisp.
Fresh From the Kitchen
About This Recipe
Sweet potato or kabocha supplies most of the shredded vegetable mixture, joined by bean sprouts, carrot, and green onion. The batter is deliberately loose; it should coat the filling rather than turn the fritters into thick pancakes. Small mounds flatten more evenly in the skillet.
Mix the vinegar dip first so the garlic and chile have time together while you prepare the fritters. Once fried, ukoy need open space on a rack, not a stack that traps moisture against the undersides.
Cooking Notes
- Shred the sweet potato or kabocha into thin, fairly even strands. Thick chunks are difficult to flatten and can remain firm while the batter and fine shreds have already browned.
- Stir the fritter mixture gently between batches. Batter can collect at the bottom of the bowl, leaving early fritters mostly vegetables and later ones disproportionately heavy with coating.
Ingredient Notes
For the shrimp
Small shell-on shrimp are traditional in some versions, but peeled small shrimp are easier for many home cooks and kids.
For crispness
Rice flour and cornstarch help the fritters fry light instead of bready.
Ukoy Recipe
This version uses small shrimp, sweet potato or squash, and rice flour for a practical U.S. kitchen fritter that stays crisp.
Shopping List
- small shrimp
- sweet potato or kabocha
- bean sprouts
- carrot
- rice flour
- cornstarch
- egg
- fish sauce
- cane vinegar
- chiles
- neutral oil
Ingredients
Fritter Mix
- 8 ounces small shrimp
- 2 cups shredded sweet potato or kabocha
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 2 green onions, sliced
Batter
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cold water, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Neutral oil for frying
Spiced Vinegar
- 1/2 cup cane vinegar
- 1 small chile, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- Pinch of salt and sugar
Instructions
- Stir together the spiced vinegar and set it aside.
- Mix rice flour, cornstarch, egg, cold water, fish sauce, and pepper into a loose batter.
- Fold in shrimp, shredded vegetables, bean sprouts, and green onions.
- Rest the mixture for 10 minutes while heating oil in a skillet.
- Spoon small mounds into hot oil and flatten lightly.
- Fry until deeply golden and crisp on both sides.
- Drain on a rack and serve hot with vinegar.
Nutrition Estimate
Approximate values per fritter based on the listed ingredients and yield. Actual nutrition will vary by brand, exact portion size, and cooking changes.
Tips For The Best Ukoy
- Keep batter light: The vegetables should be coated, not buried.
- Use hot oil: Cool oil makes greasy fritters.
- Drain on a rack: Airflow keeps the bottoms crisp.
- Fry small batches: Crowding drops the oil temperature.
How To Serve And Store
Serve immediately as merienda, appetizer, or pulutan with spiced vinegar. Reheat leftovers in an air fryer or hot oven.
Common Questions
Can I make ukoy without shrimp?
Yes. Add more vegetables for a vegetarian-style fritter.
Can I use all-purpose flour?
Yes, but the fritters will be a little heavier.
What vegetables can I use?
Sweet potato, squash, bean sprouts, carrots, green papaya, or cabbage all work.
Can I air fry ukoy?
Pan-frying gives the best texture, but air frying small oiled patties can work.
Why are my ukoy thick and soft in the middle?
Large spoonfuls piled high leave less crisp surface around the filling. Use small mounds, flatten them lightly in the oil, and leave enough space to turn each fritter without pushing it against its neighbors.
Should I pour the vinegar dip over the whole batch?
Keep it in a separate bowl and dip each fritter as you eat. Pouring liquid over the platter softens the coating before serving, especially where the fritters overlap or sit in pooled vinegar.
Do you like ukoy thin and lacy or thick and vegetable-packed? Share your family version or testing notes in the comments.
Recipe inspiration and technique reference: Filipino home-cooking source research from Panlasang Pinoy, Kawaling Pinoy, and Filipino-American cooking sources in the site roadmap.
