ingredients
makes 20 - 25
10 ounce raw shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 egg
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 cup All purpose flour
1 3/4 ounce dried rice vermicelli
1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste
3 scallions, sliced
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
oil, for deep-frying
sweet chilli sauce, for serving
method
1. Process half the shrimps in a food processor until smooth. Chop the remaining shrimps and mix in a bowl with the processed shrimps.
2. In a small jug, beat the egg and fish sauce with 3/4 cup water. Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well. Gradually add the egg mixture, whisking to make a lump-free batter.
3. Soak the vermicelli in boiling water in a bowl for 5 minutes. Drain and cut into short lengths with scissors. Mix with the shrimps, shrimp paste, scallion and chilli and stir into the batter.
4. Fill a deep heavy-based pan one third full of oil. Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F). The oil is hot enough when a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Drop tbsps of mixture into the oil and deep-fry in batches for 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.
