Simplest Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake – West Lake Shrimp Cake

Hanoi West Lake Shrimp Cake (Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây) is a dish that reflects the soul of Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. Crafted from a mixture of shrimp and batter, the dish combines the crispiness of the fried cake and the natural sweetness of shrimp. Thanks to its popularity, it is nowadays so-called Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake by international tourists. Here’s a simplest recipe of Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake with only 3 main ingredients: flour, cornstarch and shrimp.

What is Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake?

The origins of West Lake Shrimp Cakes, can be traced back to the 1930s. During that time, small street vendors began to gather along the Thanh Nien Street, which gracefully separates the tranquil waters of West Lake (Tây Hồ) and Trúc Bạch Lake. Using fresh shrimp of the West Lake and a special making process, the cake became popular among Hanoians, then Vietnamese.

What sets Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake apart from other shrimp cakes is its unique preparation. Instead of grinding the shrimp into a paste, shrimp is typically left whole, generously placed atop the crispy cakes.

Like many other dishes of Vietnamese cuisine, a serving of Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây is an enticing assembly of flavors and textures. Traditionally, it is accompanied by fresh lettuce leaves, offering the perfect vehicle for wrapping the shrimp cakes. Additionally, fish sauce is provided for dipping, allowing diners to customize their dining experience.

Ingredients

Here is a simple list of ingredients for the dish. All these ingredients are likely to be found in your kitchen regularly:

• Shrimp: To achieve the perfect texture and flavor, fresh, locally sourced shrimp, often from West Lake, are preferred for the dish. However, understandably, West Lake Shrimp may only be available if you live in Hanoi. Therefore, you can use fresh or frozen shrimp purchased from the supermarket. These shrimp are left unpeeled when frying to add a crispy texture from their shells.
• All-Purpose Flour and Cornstarch: The crispy, golden exterior of the West Lake Shrimp Cake is achieved through the batter mix, which combines all-purpose flour and cornstarch. This blend strikes the perfect balance, ensuring a light and crispy coating.
• Seasonings: Simple yet effective, the batter is seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper. Additionally, don’t forget to add curcumin powder to achieve the eye-catching yellow color of the cake.
• Sweet Potato (Optional): You can add sweet potato sticks into the batter to make the cake more flavorful. Japanese sweet potato is the most suitable type of sweet potato to incorporate into this dish.
• Oil: The choice of frying oil is crucial for achieving the desired results. Commonly used options include peanut or canola oil, both of which have high smoke points. Another excellent choice is coconut oil, which boasts the highest smoke point among vegetable oils. Properly heated oil ensures that the shrimp cakes cook evenly and attain the perfect golden-brown color.

How to make Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake

Shrimp Preparation

• Firstly, start by preparing the shrimp. If you’re using fresh shrimp, you’ll need to clean and devein them. It’s a simple process: just rinse the shrimp under cold water to remove any dirt or impurities. Then, make a shallow incision along the back of each shrimp to remove the vein using a knife or your fingers.
• In the case of frozen shrimp, the process is much easier. Here’s a quick tip for defrosting them: soak the frozen shrimp in water and change the water 2-3 times. This will take about 5-10 minutes for the shrimp to be completely thawed.

Season the shrimp with sliced shallots, salt, and pepper, then let them rest while you mix the batter.

Making Batter

• Combine all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl to create the base of the batter. In general, the proportion of each ingredient is 6 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part cornstarch. Additionally, add either 1/3 tsp of baking soda or 1 tsp of baking powder to the mixture.
• Season the batter with a pinch of salt, pepper, and curcumin powder.
• Gradually add water to the mixture using a ratio of 3 parts water to 2 parts flour. Stir continuously until you achieve a smooth, thick batter. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

• If you have sweet potato, cut it into thin strips then add them to the batter.

Frying

Everything will be easy with basic cooking technique. Note that you should only add a spoon of batter while the oil is already hot, so that the shape of a cake can form immediately. Then, keep an eye on the frying pan not to let it overcooked. So, follow these steps:

• Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep frying pan or wok until it reaches the ideal frying temperature. A test drop of batter should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately.
• Carefully spoon portions of the batter mixture into the hot oil, then lay a shrimp on top of it. Ensure that they are evenly spaced and not overcrowded, allowing them to cook to a perfect golden-brown hue.
• Fry until the shrimp cakes are crispy on the outside and the shrimp within are cooked.

Accompaniments with Shrimp Cake

To enhance the dining experience, serve the shrimp cakes with fresh lettuce leaves. This provides a refreshing contrast to the crispy texture, allowing you to either wrap the cakes in the lettuce or eat them together.

The condiments are equally important. Try dipping the shrimp cakes in a dipping sauce made from fish sauce or chili sauce. Here’s the recipe for fish sauce dipping sauce: combine 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp still water, minced garlic, and finely chopped chili. It’s quite similar to the dipping sauce recipe for Vietnamese pancake, and you can adjust the proportions according to your taste preferences.

Variations of Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake

There is also another version of Vietnamese Fried shrimp cake which incorporates crispy sweet potato sticks. These thinly sliced sweet potato sticks are deep-fried in batter, adding a pleasant sweetness and an extra layer of crunch to the traditional shrimp cakes.

To make this version, it’s not too difficult. You will spend a bit more time grating the sweet potato, similar in size to grated carrots, and then add it to the batter. Afterward, fry each spoonful of batter just like the frying process of the simple version I shared above.

Simplest Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake – West Lake Shrimp Cake

Here's a simplest recipe of Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake with only 3 main ingredients: flour, cornstarch and shrimp.

4.73 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 515kcal

Author: Mia Pham

Ingredients

Batter

• 130 g all-purpose flour 1/2 cup
• 20 g corn starch 2 3/4 tbsp
• 230 ml water 1 cup
• 1 Japanese sweet potato (optional)

Seasoning for the batter

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 tsp pepper
• 1/3 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda or nearly 1 tsp baking powder

Shrimp

• 300 g 10 oz shrimp
• 4-5 slices of shallots
• A pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1. Shrimp Preparation:

• Firstly, start by preparing the shrimp. If you're using fresh shrimp, you'll need to clean and devein them. It's a simple process: just rinse the shrimp under cold water to remove any dirt or impurities. Then, make a shallow incision along the back of each shrimp to remove the vein using a knife or your fingers.
• In the case of frozen shrimp, the process is much easier. Here's a quick tip for defrosting them: soak the frozen shrimp in water and change the water 2-3 times. This will take about 5-10 minutes for the shrimp to be completely thawed.
  
• Season the shrimp with sliced shallots, salt, and pepper, then let them rest while you mix the batter.

Step 2. Making Batter

• Combine all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a mixing bowl to create the base of the batter. Typically, the proportion of each ingredient is 6 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part cornstarch. Additionally, add either 1/3 tsp of baking soda or 1 tsp of baking powder to the mixture. Season the batter with a pinch of salt, pepper, and curcumin powder.
• Gradually add water to the mixture using a ratio of 3 parts water to 2 parts flour. Stir continuously until you achieve a smooth, thick batter. The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  
• If you have sweet potato, cut it into thin strips then add them to the batter.

Step 3. Frying:

• Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep frying pan or wok until it reaches the ideal frying temperature. A test drop of batter should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately.
• Carefully spoon portions of the batter mixture into the hot oil, then lay a shrimp on top of it. Ensure that they are evenly spaced and not overcrowded, allowing them to cook to a perfect golden-brown hue.
  
• Fry until the shrimp cakes are crispy on the outside and the shrimp within are cooked.
  
• Serve the dish with lettuce and your favorite dipping sauce such as fish sauce, ketchup or sriracha sauce.
  

Video

Notes

Accompaniments

Try dipping the shrimp cakes in a dipping sauce from fish sauce or chilli sauce. This is the recipe for dipping fish sauce: combine 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice, a 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp still water, minced garlic, and finely chopped chili.

To enhance the dining experience, serve the shrimp cakes with fresh lettuce leaves.

Nutrition

Serving: 5shrimp cakes | Calories: 515kcal

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