Shrimp and Carrot Fritters

I love fritters of any kind. They were great for afternoon tea or even breakfast. I prepared this batch for fritters when my friend Nini’s came over for afternoon tea. We had it with some Chinese tea from Teavivre – Tea for Life . They sent me some sample packets to try out a few weeks ago. We tried out the Jasmine ‘Dragon Pearl’ Green Tea. When I opened the packet I can see the unopened bud and small leaves in it. I understand that the tea leaves were hand rolled into small pearl shape, which will slowly unfurl during brewing. The flavor is so delicate and light, with great aroma of sweet jasmine and faint hint of green tea. You have to drink this tea slowly to savor all the delicate taste.

Now let's get back to the fritters. I’ve made a lot of fritters but I think by far this is the best tasting one as the fritters came out crunchy and with a bit of sweetness from the grated carrot. It goes really great with a cup of tea. What a great way to cleanse the palette.

Ingredients:

220 gram flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
70 gram shallots or onion - sliced thinly
60 gram carrot, finely shredded
1 red chili – removed seeds and chopped
4 spring onions – cut into ½” lengths
250g shrimps, shelled and de-veined – roughly chopped
320ml water

Ingredients for the Chili Sauce

8 fresh red chilies - sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp tomato ketchup
4 Tbsp water

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the shallots, carrot, green onions and shrimps. Stir in water and mix well.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or shallow pan over medium heat. Test by placing a small drop of batter into the oil - if it sizzles, the oil is ready.
3. Drop tablespoonful of batter into the oil, leaving at least 1cm of space between them. Fry until lightly puffed and golden brown on both sides. Drain well in on paper towels. Fry fritters in batches until all the batter is used up.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the chili sauce. Put all the ingredients into a blender or a food processor and blend finely. Transfer into a small bowl.
5. Serve the fritters hot or warm, accompanied with chili sauce